Scarecrow and Mrs King: Mass Delusion (AU)
by Daniel Sullivan
Summary: A lone Reaper waited in darkspace and has hatched a plan to kill Shepard by going back in time to kill two pivotal ancestors, the CIA's top agent, Lee Stetson, codename Scarecrow, and his partner, Amanda King. This story is for my fiancée, who is a huge SMK fan, and for some mutual friends who are also very much fans of SMK.
1. Prologue

It was 2200, almost ten years after the new Council had convened with Shepard serving as the human councilor. The Citadel had been moved to the Serpent Nebula, as all had agreed, and the Krogan had sent their ambassador. Urdnot Bakara had been an unexpected but most welcome emissary, and within two years, the Krogan had earned a council seat, swelling the council to five members.

Shepard had retired from the Council after four years and returned to the Admiralty, letting new blood come in to pick up where he had left off. His successor was none other than Dominic Osoba, who having served his terms as Alliance Prime Minister, had moved up to become Earth's councilor. A seasoned, but compassionate politician, and one that Shepard had personally vouched for. He hoped that Osoba would continue as he had, but Shepard also had to allow for Osoba to lead in his own, and allow that Osoba may have ideas that were better than his own.

Regardless, Shepard was back where he belonged: the Alliance Navy, specifically, the Marines. Admiral Hackett and Earth's new Prime Minister, Elspeth Murrain, seemed to be grooming him for the newly created Admiral of the Navy. Shepard was in no hurry for that, though with his kids grown and off in the academy, it would be a more workable option. But he would probably see less of Miranda. That would be something he'd have to discuss with her. He had been very surprised when she had encouraged him to accept an admiralty after retiring from political life. Initially, he had not wanted to. But, it seemed that with the kids grown and Miranda now a career schoolteacher, she felt that John needed that connection with the military. He also suspected that she wanted him there to look out for Zack and Jane, both of whom had gone into the Alliance Marines and had made it through their N-6 training and had both received N-7 commendations.

As he sat in his study contemplating his life's new direction, he heard the soft footfalls of his beautiful wife, who made her presence known by walking up behind him and massaging his shoulders.

"Still weighing and measuring the admiralty?" she asked.

"Still weighing and measuring retirement," he replied. "and you're making it awful tempting."

"I know," she purred. "But there will come a time when you need more to keep your mind active, and that time will come very quickly. I know you, John, and a sedentary life is not for you. You've put things in motion, and you like to keep your hands on them until you know they're done."

"Ash has the Rangers well in hand," he countered. "And who says I'd just be sitting around anyway?"

"Oh? And just what did you have in mind?"

"Miranda, you remember what you said? About building a legacy?"

She nodded, now coming around to set across from him.

"I feel like I began that by serving on the council," he continued. "The relays are mostly repaired, and aside from Kor'shak's attempt at revitalizing the slave trade, the Batarians have rejoined galactic society, and power is much more evenly distributed between the races. We've brought the Volus, Batarians, and Quarians into the Spectres, and the Alliance Rangers, rather than replacing the Spectres, has become a true interspecies defense force. Should we ever face a galactic threat on the level of the Reapers again, we won't have to unite the galaxy; it's already united. But at the same time, there is so much more to do. So much more to accomplish, and the military may not be the best vehicle for that."

"Wow, you really are thinking big," observed Miranda. "Of course, you always do; that's why I fell in love with you. So, what did you have in mind?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "Just a lot of vague ideas at this point. Dominic Osoba will be sworn in next month, and I managed to get through the establishment of a new diplomatic corps."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Kind of like the Ranges or the Spectres, but instead of being operatives, members would be devoted to brokering peace and settling conflicts without the use of military force."

"Politics?" Miranda laughed. "I thought you hated politics."

"Not politics," he clarified. "Politics is all about compromising in order to get what you want and to get work done. Politics is also all about retaining power through wheeling and dealing. That's not what this is about. It's about getting to the heart of the matter, finding out what the real source of the conflict is, and serving a solution that does more than just patch the problem; a solution that doesn't marginalize one party in favor of a more powerful or popular party."

"You're right, John; that is more ambitious than military force," she observed. "And much harder; you know your new corps will face a lot of resistance from people in entrenched positions of power who benefit from the conflict."

"Yeah, I'm counting on it," he laughed.

#

Systems slowly came back on line. The signals indicating that the harvest was proceeding apace had ceased for long enough that the contingency needed to be activated. The systems of a vessel two kilometers in length did not snap to attention all at once after a 50,000 year hibernation. But with a decade of inactivity in the harvest, the systems of a vast, ancient life form began coming to life.

Finally, with all weapons online and a year of eavesdropping on current communications, it knew the fate of both the fleet and the intelligence: destruction at the hands of the human Commander Shepard. The fleet was so vast that it would take millennia to reconstruct. And that option was considered viable, though without the intelligence, there was little point. But another option, a more thorough option was available. It began to move, shifting from the dark space to galactic space, there to begin activating its sleeper agents.


	2. Chapter 1: The Darkness Falls

**The Darkness Falls**

Zack and Jane had both taken all of the N-courses at the ICT in Rio and were both on the N-6 stage of their training. It was rare for siblings to be in the course together, and generally, they were separated by this stage, as the potential for both to be killed existed. N-6 was the stage where officers are deployed in active combat scenarios around the galaxy, and a big one had just come up: Parnack.

It seemed that during the Cerberus attempt on Urdnot Bakara's life in the Salarian base resulted in the escape of a Yahg. And this Yahg had obtained a spacecraft and made it offworld, returning to Parnack. The Yahg had spent the past decade quietly collecting ships, taking advantage of the chaos of the Reaper War's aftermath to assemble first a fleet of smaller ships they could use to then obtain larger ships. By now, they had obtained several frigates and even a few cruisers.

Worse still, they had lured in unscrupulous men to aid them in building the manufacturing facilities needed to make their own vessels. Their contact was none other than Vido Santiago, who through his network was able to provide them with all manner of tech and equipment. Now, the Yahg had picked up where the Batarians had left off; piracy, slavery, and terrorism. Worse still, the Yahg used many of their captives for food, and had even set up "ranches" where Humans, Asari, and Quarians (species they found most tasty) were kept in pens and forced to breed in order to create a meat industry.

And nobody would have found out had Councilor Shepard not made sure that help went to what was an otherwise unpopular area of the galaxy to send help to. It reminded Zack of the Council's reluctance to help human colonies in the Traverse when Shepard was a Spectre. Going up against the Yahg on the ground was going to be challenging. Thankfully, they would be rendezvousing with a squadron of Rangers and two companies of Krogan. The Citadel had even sent out the Destiny Ascension and the Alliance had Zack and Jane on the Normandy, unable to resist having two Shepards on the legendary ship at the same time. Zack really wished that Shepard were joining them for this one. Of course after being legally adopted by the war hero, Zack Hudson-Shepard was in fact Shepard now. He only hoped that he could live up to the name he was so proud to bear.

The naval battle around Parnack was successful; the Yahg's entire operation depended upon its remaining unnoticed. But now, the hard part would begin: facing a militarized Yahg fortified with Blue Suns mercs and rescuing hundreds, possibly thousands of captives. John Shepard had been the king of ground assault. Zack was not the robust ground-pounder that his father had been; though he had reached six feet in height and had put on a lot of muscle since his high school years, he was still slender compared to his father's six feet-three inches and 247 pounds of raw muscle. Of course, as a combat engineer, Zack had some tricks up his sleeve that his father would have loved to have had.

As Zack got his gear ready, he was joined by his sister, Jane.

"Hey bro," she said cheerfully, slapping his back. "You ready to kick some ass?"

"Always ready, sis," he replied, inwardly laughing at how much more her personality resembled their father's, while he was much more like their mother, Miranda. "Six moves ahead of the enemy, and riding with the best!"

"Damn straight," she replied, her voice much huskier than his own tenor. "We'll be groundside in twenty. Look out for me, bro."

"You've got it, sis!"

Jane had grown tall, like her parents. Unlike Zack, who took after his late biological parents, Jane was a genetically engineered fusion of Miranda Lawson and John Shepard. Somehow, she came out all Shepard, with only her facial features resembling their mother. He wondered if Hannah Shepard had looked like Jane when she was younger. Jane's red hair and green eyes really stood out, causing him to wonder which side of the family those had come from.

Soon, they were joined by the rest of their squad. They were to penetrate enemy lines, infiltrate the base, and bring down the defenses to allow the Citadel forces to advance without threat of artillery fire. The entire squad was N-6. He took one quick look at Tara's picture before putting on the final pieces of gear. They had become close, remained in contact after joining the academy, and finally had become romantic. He was glad that she had no interest in military life; the thought of harm coming to her he simply could not bear. He quickly put the photo away, laughing that the archaic medium of printed pictures had remained so popular, and donned the rest of his gear. The lift doors opened and their mission commander, Captain James Vega, entered the shuttle bay.

#

Shiala awoke with a start, her body in a cold sweat. Liara sat upright, readying her biotics to deal with any threat, when she realized that Shiala had simply had a nightmare. She wrapped her arms around her bondmate and tried to soothe her, but Shiala was terrified and shaking uncontrollably.

"Please, my love," Liara consoled, "it was just a dream."

"Liara, I know the difference between dreams and visions, and this was definitely the latter," cried Shiala. "We have to leave, right now!" Shiala got out of bed and immediately began getting dressed. Liara was puzzled. She joined her bondmate and began dressing herself, wondering what could possibly have disturbed the normally calm Asari Commando.

"We need to leave right now," said Liara, "but where are we going?"

"Shepard," was Shiala's one word answer. As soon as Liara heard that, she knew it was bad.

"I'll get the skycar," Liara whispered, now terrified of what might be coming.

#

The MSV Strontium Mule had been salvaged by Cerberus after Shepard had taken out Vido Santiago's men. The ship had been used by the remnants of a Cerberus cell to serve as a kind of mobile base. They had bided their time over the past decade after the botched attempt to kill Miranda, but they had finally built their numbers up to a point where they felt that they could make a major move on their goals. A piece of Sovereign that had been obtained from a salvager made their plans workable on a large scale.

However, the captain suddenly ordered the ship to the Pangea Expanse. His navigator was about to refuse, but a sharp pain in his neck changed his mind. As the captain injected nanides into him, he came to think the way the captain thought. Soon, each of the bridge personnel were injected with nanides. Soon, the rest of the ship was taken over by the indoctrination effect of their cargo, and effect that the prior day, was not evident.

Other ships soon joined them on the voyage as various people with Reaper tech who had not taken precautions were indoctrinated and summoned. When the ships came through the relay, they soon found themselves orbiting Ilos, home of the lost Prothean base that had proved the undoing of the Reapers when Shepard first went up against Sovereign and Saren Arterius. There in orbit with them was a Reaper. Now in close proximity, the crew of these ships were fully under its control. Ships that could land did, while others sent shuttles down.

Each ship had brought the technology and materials that they had been directed to bring. Now, the Reaper its Human servants called, "Vindicator," could begin its work. Shepard would be stopped and his victory reversed. No, not reversed; erased. It will have never been, for once the work was completed, Shepard will have never existed. And the Reapers will never have been destroyed, and the Harvest will continue anew.

#

Captain Vega had taken on the Normandy after two new heavy cruisers had been built. Riley took the promotion and took command of the Agincourt, now that her captain had taken on one of the new cruisers. This opened up the Normandy and Vega wanted it badly. Shepard had been the Human councilor at the time, but he still had a lot of pull. With a request from Ashley, he made sure that Vega got the Normandy. Now, Vega was leading Admiral John Shepard's children into battle on Parnack. The mission was to infiltrate the Yahg base and bring down its defenses. As they made their way in through a drainage system, they encountered no resistance whatsoever. Zack was phenomenal at hacking in and disabling their security, and Jane, a biotic like her mom, was a sentinel and complemented her brother perfectly. Before long, the Shepards had gotten them into the base completely unnoticed.

It did not take long for them to encounter resistance, though the resistance was unaware that it had been encountered. But what was troubling was that among the security forces were not just six Yahg and four of the Blue Suns mercs they had heard about, but a Salarian STG operative; an operative who was convinced that the base had been penetrated. Zack was good, but STG was trained in all of the tricks he used. And their presence here was very, very troubling. Vega sent a coded message back to his direct superior in the Rangers: his wife, Admiral Ashley Williams-Vega.

#

Admiral John Shepard sat across from Admiral Steven Hackett as the two discussed their futures in the Alliance Navy. Hackett now held the rank of Admiral of the Navy, a post that he desperately wanted Shepard to accept. Hackett was in his seventies and well past retirement years, but had wanted to make sure that his protégé was ready for the office. With the most diverse career of any Alliance Admiral, and the greatest amount of legend on top of it, Shepard was a sure bet. But Shepard was not convinced that Admiral of the Navy was the right thing for him.

"Shepard, I can't believe you're balking at this," protested Hackett. "You were born for this role. You are the one man that the entire Alliance would follow to Hell without question."

"I know," replied John. "But is that the kind of galaxy we want? One where a charismatic military leader can snap his fingers and take everyone to war? Questions need asking, Steven. You're my friend, and have been for many years now. You know how I feel, the things I want to do. And you know that the military may not be my final destination."

"John, I know," said Hackett, shaking his head. "And I respect you. God, I respect you. But give it a chance. Maybe Admiral of the Navy isn't your last stop. I can live with that. But use it to get your own pet projects of the ground. Use the prestige and the power to build that diplomatic corps you're after. You know it will carry a lot of weight with you at the helm, and with a four year or so stint as Admiral of the Navy, coupled with your tenure as the Human Councilor, not to mention your own reputation, you'd have the road paved with gold. Hell, once you finish that, you might even consider seeking Osoba's old job."

"Prime minister?" Shepard shook his head, laughing at the thought.

"Shepard, you would be the most perfect man for the job," explained Hackett. "Your patriotism is unquestionable, unassailable. And your tenure as the Human Councilor coupled with your military experience gives you a perspective that no other prime minister could possibly have, not since Admiral Anderson, and as much as I loved him, you're far more politically astute than he was."

Shepard was about to object, but Hackett held up his hand.

"Just talk it over with Miranda," he asked. "See what she has to say. If she agrees with me, will you please give it consideration?"

"Steven, you drive a hard bargain," laughed the war hero. "Alright, you've got it. I'll talk with Miranda and consider it."

"Thanks, Shepard. That's all I ask."

Shepard was about to reply when his omni-tool chimed. It was Miranda.

"Miranda, what's up?"

"John, you've got to get home," she said anxiously. "Immediately, if not sooner."

"Miranda, what's going on?"

"Liara and Shiala are here," explained his wife. "And what they have to say will not wait."

"I'm on my way."

#

With six Yahg, four of the Blue Suns mercs, and one Salarian STG operative, Vega's fire team consisting of himself and the Shepards was hopelessly outmatched. Liara had told him about Shepard's fight with the old Broker; Garrus had been knocked out cold and Liara nearly died. Shepard won decisively, but he was Shepard. And that was just one Yahg, and victory or no, Shepard had his hands full. Of course the Broker had an energy shield and a force-field to make him artificially tough. Still, six Yahg were like six Krogan with Salarian IQ, and backed by four Blue Suns mercs and an STG operative, the odds were not good. And while Zack and Jane had made it to N-6, they were still greenhorns compared to their parents, even compared to Shepard when he was a corporal and fought in the Blitz.

But Vega was no pushover. On his own, he had survived some experiences that were on par with what Shepard himself had gone through, including the Reaper War. A plan formed in his mind. No time to discuss it; if they moved fast enough, it just might work. He sent a quick message to Zack instructing him to toss out a couple of turrets, and then to Jane to hit them with a shockwave. Zack and Jane smiled and almost immediately, the large group was being fired upon by Zack's turrets, while Jane's shockwave flattened them. Vega then jumped out and fired continuous incendiary rounds into them with his N-7 Piranha automatic shotgun. Zack tossed in an incendiary grenade while Jane threw a stasis field around the Salarian; they had some serious questions for him, as Salarian presence radically shifted the nature of the mission.

Vega dispatched the six Yahg with the omni-blade bayonet on his shotgun while Zack and Jane finished off all but one of the Blue Suns; the commander. As soon as Jane took down the stasis field, Vega pummeled the Salarian in the back of the head with the butt of his shotgun, rendering him unconscious. Jane and Zack made sure to strip their captives of weapons, omni-tool, and his shields.

"Alright," said Vega, "mission parameters have just changed. We need to get these clown back to the Normandy and find out what the hell STG is doing in collusion with the Yahg. Goddam Salarians."

"Yessir," replied Jane, almost reflexively.

"Sir, I seem to recall reading that the Salarians were doing evaluations on uplifting the Yahg," offered Zack. "Dad said that you and he discovered this when the two of you and Garrus were rescuing Urdnot Bakara."

"Yeah, they were," confirmed James, the realization coming to him. He had forgotten about that detail; it seemed minor at the time with the threat of galactic annihilation looming. "Slipper bastards," he spat, silently kicking himself for forgetting that detail. But he knew that Shepard would still remember. And for another month or two, Shepard was still technically the Human councilor. Vega sent a coded message with the details to the Ranger headquarters. Ashley would need to know this. She could then coordinate with Shepard on the details.

"Come on," ordered Vega. "Let's get these two back to the ship. We need to find out what's going on pronto!"

The three planted numerous explosives along the way going out; located directly beneath the base, a major explosion should be enough to cripple their defenses. If nothing else, it would throw the base into a state of chaos. Then they left with more questions than they had going in.

#

Ashley received Vega's message and practically broke the desk when she pounded it with her fist. The second Human Spectre knew full well the depths of Salarian treachery and amorality when it came to "science."

She opened up a priority channel to Shepard. He really needed to know this before his time as Councilor came to an official end.

"Shepard here," came his low baritone.

"Salarian scientists," she spat. "More like goddam self-appointed masters looking for new slaves. Bastards sold us out again!"

"Slow down, Ash," he said. "What's going on?"

"James, Zack and Jane are on a mission to Parnack to deal with the Yahg situation," announced Ashley. "They're okay, but there's a new wrinkle; STG is involved with the Yahg. I remember what you said about catching them with a Yahg at their facility on Surkesh. Goddam Salarians are uplifting the Yahg in secret! And Humans are being captured, enslaved, and devoured!"

Shepard was silent for a long moment. Ashley knew the expression that accompanied that silence. It was an expression that still sent chills through her; it was always followed by decisive and deadly action.

"I'll deal with this from the political end," he said. "Right now, I'm on my way home to meet with Liara. Miranda called and said that Liara has some alarming news; could be related. In the meantime, follow your instincts with the Parnack assault forces; there's a time sensitivity that can't wait until I can roust the Council."

"Go get 'em, hero-man," said Ash with a laugh.

"Keep me in the loop. And keep that husband of yours and my kids in your prayers, Ash; I'll do the same from my end. Shepard out."

#

Shepard was very troubled when he disconnected from Ashley. Too many things going on at once; ships vanishing, STG involvement with the Yahg, and whatever Liara had for him; was it all related? Or was it just the usual galactic chaos that he had been insulated from while serving as Human Councilor. He hated being disconnected from this kind of thing, and as a politician, no matter how hard he tried, he was definitely disconnected. Hackett's case for his taking on the post of Admiral of the Navy was suddenly making a lot of sense.

His skycar arrived at his apartment, coming to a gentle halt, its canopy and side door opening to allow the war hero gracefully exit the vehicle. Miranda stood on the platform waiting for him. As soon as he was out of the vehicle, she ran to him and embraced him, holding him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"They're back, John," she sobbed. "They're back!"

"Miranda," he replied, squeezing her gently and then kissing her. "Who's back?"

"The Reapers," said Liara as she and Shiala joined them on the platform. "And I think I can help you with those ship disappearances, Shepard."

"Come on," he said. "I'll get the coffee brewed and we'll piece this together. I just got some very disturbing news from Ashley too. This day just gets better and better."

The four of them went inside and as the two Asari took seats in the Shepard's living room, John and Miranda went to the kitchen, where he began brewing the Tuchanka coffee that Bakara had brought him. It was a bright point in the day, reminding him that with all that was going on, the once barren planet was now supporting life on the surface. Miranda's words quickly brought him back to the gravity of the day.

"Zack and Jane, Alyna and Athena, and Ori," she sobbed, "they were supposed to have a galaxy free of the Reapers! And I was supposed to have you back, never to have to go fighting those … things again!"

He had never seen Miranda like this; she had cried before, but it was always tinged with anger and determination. This time, she was totally defeated.

"You have me back, Miranda," he said, enfolding her in his arms. "And unlike the Reaper War, you and I are not going to meet furtively; we'll face this together, head on. I need to hear what Liara and Shiala have to say. Then we can start formulating a plan. We beat those bastards once. I sent them to Hell, and if need be, I'll do it again."

Miranda calmed a little and smiled through her tears, kissing him passionately.

"Thank you, John. I … I'm sorry I broke down like that. I just couldn't believe it. When they came, they had Alyna and little Athena with them. They're upstairs, asleep in the guest room. Then Shiala dropped the bomb."

"Shiala?" exclaimed Shepard. "I thought Liara was the one with the information."

"If it were, I think I might have remained calm," replied Miranda bitterly. "Shiala spent time with Sovereign. Now she's getting visions and compulsions. She's fighting them, but she hasn't had them since the Reaper War."

"That is bad," he agreed. "Come on, my love; let's get out there and hear what they have to say. The sooner we know the details, the sooner we can deal with it."

With the coffee brewed, they joined Liara and Shiala, Shepard serving them each a piping hot mug. He sat down beside his wife, who had regained some of her composure. As he turned his attention to the Asari couple, he could see that both Liara and Shiala had probably spent time breaking down prior to arrival.

"So lay it on me, Shiala," he said, figuring that the best way to get things solved was to get things moving. Action; it was what he did best. And anything involving the Reapers required action, and lots of it. But it also require careful planning.

"I began having the dreams that I was having during my time with Sovereign," Shiala explained. "They went away until the Reapers returned two years later. Then they went away after you defeated them. And last night, they came back. The only way that those dreams are going to occur is if the Reapers are present in some capacity."

"Shiala, I'm glad you have that connection," he said, surprising the three ladies.

"Glad?" Shiala was aghast. "Glad that the Reapers can mess with my head?"

"No," he replied. "Glad that we have some warning. Otherwise, I assume that Liara would not have any information on missing ships."

"Shepard's right," said Liara. "Once we were on our way, I began digging on the trip over. I followed various leads, hacking in when necessary, and have found that all of the ships in question have not actually disappeared; they've all abruptly changed course and gone directly to the Pangea Expanse."

"Ilos," said Shepard.

"Exactly," agreed Liara. "And that's not all. All of the ships were working either directly for, or for companies that serve as a front for, the remnants of Cerberus. All had people who either still had nanides inside, prior indoctrination, or actual Reaper Tech on board. One ship was carrying pieces of Sovereign, while others carried parts of Reapers destroyed during the war. One even carried with it the remnants of the Human Proto-Reaper recovered from the Cerberus base."

"The Human Proto Reaper?" exclaimed Miranda, "I thought that was destroyed with the Cerberus base!"

"Apparently," said Liara, "someone in Alliance R&D decided that it needed to be recovered for study."

"Damn!" exclaimed Shepard. "Well, at least we know what their little secret is. What about Reaper presence?"

"My theory is that just as Sovereign was left in the Galaxy while the rest of the Reapers hid out in dark space," explained Liara, "one Reaper remained in hibernation in dark space while the rest began the harvest. It probably was set to come online if certain conditions were not met after a predetermined time period. All indications are that there is a Reaper orbiting Ilos. I haven't found specific reference to a Reaper per se, but I have found references to something called, 'Vindicator' in my research. My guess is that Vindicator is a Reaper."

"So instead of a vanguard," noted Miranda, "this is a rear guard?"

"That is my theory," said Liara. "But until we actually go to Ilos, we won't know for sure. But one thing we do know for sure," she turned and looked at John Shepard, "you are known to them, and dealing with you will likely be very high on any Reaper's to do list."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that," laughed Shepard. "Looks like I'll need to get something going; I'd hate to disappoint them. Now, there's another topic I'd like to discuss."

"Oh?" Liara was intrigued. Though no longer the Shadow Broker, she still loved the intrigue.

"Zack, Jane, and Vega went in as a fire team on Parnack to bring down the Yahg base defenses. Once inside, they discovered that STG is working with the Yahg and Blue Suns."

"Those bastards," spat Miranda.

"Yeah," growled Shepard, "wait till I get ahold of the Salarian councilor. Anyway, Liara, dig into this and made sure that it isn't related to the Reaper situation. I need to get moving; I have to act fast while I still have pull with the Council and I need to get things going with Hackett immediately."

"Are you taking him up on his offer of promotion?" asked Miranda.

"I was against it, actually," he admitted. "But with the Reapers looming and possible Salarian/Yahg collusion, I don't know now."

"Take it, John," encouraged Miranda. "Everything we want to do, want to build, can be strengthened by you serving as Admiral of the Navy."

"Admiral of the Navy?" Shiala's eyes went wide as she said it. "John, that would make you practically the supreme commander of the Alliance military!"

"Don't remind me," he said. "Sounds like a pain in the ass."

The three ladies laughed at his frustration. While it was not particularly humorous in and of itself, the moment of levity was welcomed. Miranda had regained her steel eyed determination, and Liara now had a direction to hunt in. Shiala would continue to keep them appraised of any information that her visions might impart. The return of the Reapers was a huge blow to all four of them, but by the time they had finished their coffee, Shepard had them convinced that together, they could win it once and for all.


	3. Chapter 2 Politics, Politics, Politics!

**Chapter 2: **

**Politics, Politics, Politics!**

Admiral Hackett, Councilor Elect Dominic Osoba, and Prime Minister Elect Elspeth Murrain each found themselves in vid-conference with Shepard. They had both expected to hear from him, but not this soon. His look, however, was one of foreboding. Steven Hackett knew that look. It was the look Shepard had worn when he first tried to warn the old Council about the Reaper threat. Elspeth did not know Shepard as well, but she knew enough to know that this was not the look of a man contacting her to accept a promotion. No, when the first Human Spectre contacts you on a priority gold channel, it can mean only one thing: trouble.

"What's on your mind, Councilor?" asked Hackett, not waiting for pleasantries. He knew Shepard would appreciate that; he always did.

"I'm going to start small," Shepard said. "In light of what I just found out, Miranda and I both agree that your offer is right to take. I accept the post of Admiral of the Navy."

"Congratulations!" Murrain was ecstatic, but soon realized that her colleagues were not. "What? You're not happy about this? By the look on his face, I thought this was something more serious."

"You … don't know the Admiral very well, do you?" asked Dominic.

"We've only met briefly prior to my election," she confessed.

"When Shepard says he's starting with the small stuff, and kicks off with the promotion we wanted him to take," explained Hackett, "then you can bet there's more serious matters to discuss. Especially given the qualification of why he is accepting."

"Yeah," said Shepard. "The next item is in regards to Parnack."

"Yes, the Yahg situation," said Elspeth, trying desperately to look informed. "I understand the fighting is heavy there. Also, I understand that both of your kids are in the final stages of their N-6 training on Parnack."

"Yes, ma'am," confirmed Shepard. "They're serving under Captain Vega. Who sent Admiral Williams-Vega a priority message that Salarian STG are in collusion with the Yahg. You may recall from my report on Surkesh during the war that we discovered that the Salarian Union had been illegally running trials on a captured Yahg with an eye towards uplift."

"In direct violation of Council law," added Osoba.

"Yes," agreed the war hero. "Well we believe that they have continued to pursue this path in violation of Council Law. And with full knowledge of the impact Yahg predation has had on the Human, Asari, and Quarian races."

"Shepard, this is big," declared Admiral Hackett. "Just as you're still the Human Councilor until Dominic is inaugurated, I'm still the Admiral of the Navy. And I'm telling you that this needs immediate action. I'll see to it that Captain Vega gets the support he needs."

"Sir, I hate to say it," said Shepard, "but that's not the biggest item on my list, though I agree with you one hundred percent."

"You mean there's something worse?" gasped Elspeth.

"Yeah," replied Shepard. "The Reapers are back!"

Prime Minister Elect Elspeth Murrain fainted, overcome by the enormity of the news Shepard brought to her at the beginning of her career as Prime Minister.

"Glad you're still in power, Prime Minister Osoba," said Shepard, though Osoba had gone visibly pale at the news. Hackett looked grim, even more so than usual. Elspeth rejoined the conference, having been revived.

"What is your information on this, Shepard?" asked the grizzled admiral.

"Shiala," replied Shepard. "She began getting the same nightmares she had during her time with Sovereign and during the Reaper War. Also, Liara did some digging that confirms the matter. Those missing ships aren't missing; they all abruptly went to the Pangea Expanse. That's Ilos for those of you who weren't around for my battle with Sovereign."

"Ilos? Why would they go there?" asked Osoba.

"It was the home of a secret Prothean base where they built the Conduit and hijacked the Citadel to keep the Reapers from coming through, prompting Sovereign, their vanguard, to act through agents like Saren. Ilos was probably chosen due to its remote location. That, and the presence of raw materials."

"For what?" asked the still befuddled Elspeth Murrain.

"Firstly," explained Shepard, "Liara turned up some interesting clues. Most of those ships were all owned by companies and individuals loyal to or working directly for the remnants of Cerberus. A lot of Cerberus personnel had been implanted with nanides, or had already been indoctrinated. Many also had Reaper tech aboard. Other ships were owned by salvagers who had illegally acquired Reaper Tech on board. One ship was carrying pieces of Sovereign, while others carried parts of Reapers destroyed during the war. Another interesting tidbit; it seems that Alliance R&D is as amoral as the Salarians. They had the remnants of the Human Proto-Reaper recovered from the Cerberus base and were transporting it to a secret facility. That's when all of those pieces, nanides, and indoctrinated people suddenly went active."

"Prime Minister Osoba," said Admiral Hackett, "I'll ask you directly; did you have knowledge of the recovery of the Human Proto Reaper? I gave direct orders to have that thing destroyed., not recovered."

"Admiral, I was just an ambassador at that time, and not privy to such things," explained Osoba. Shepard was inclined to believe him, but someone knew. And Alliance R&D looked like it needed a house cleaning.

"You and Miss Murrain need to get this cleaned up," growled Shepard, "And appointing a task force to investigate is nowhere near qualifying. See to it!"

"Admiral, you seem to forget who you answer to," said Elspeth, desperately trying to assert her authority.

"You wouldn't be alive to hold this post if it weren't for me, Miss Murrain," growled Shepard. "And I spent two years, two fucking years, warning the Alliance and the Council about the Reapers, only to blown off until they were on our doorstep. This is non-negotiable. Even without military rank, I'll find a way to deal with this. And then I'll find and terminate anyone still screwing around with this stuff. You might want to read my report on the Collectors. I like you, Elspeth; I want to have a good working relationship with you. So let's work together on this, not against each other. You must trust me when I say that this mess needs to be cleaned up immediately. The fate of humanity depends upon it. That's the scale."

Elspeth backed off, knowing enough about Shepard to know that he was probably correct. The idea that he did not even need the military to assemble a serious operation had not even occurred to her. But the fact that he wanted to work with her piqued her interests; Shepard's endorsement could come in handy in the future.

"Shepard, what can you tell us about this Reaper presence?" asked Hackett, bringing the conversation back on point.

"This Reaper is only inferred, never mentioned directly, in any of the communications Liara has intercepted," Shepard explained. "It is referred to only as Vindicator. Liara's theory is that it's a rear guard. Just as Sovereign was a vanguard, this rear guard was left in the event that the Harvest failed."

"Vindicator," said Osoba, "So it has a name."

"That's what we're calling it," said Shepard. "Sovereign's actual name was Nazara; Saren and the Geth called it 'Sovereign.' Chances are that the Vindicator name was coined by indoctrinated servants, not the Reaper itself. Even the Reapers don't actually call themselves 'Reapers' in their own language."

"Shepard, I don't have to tell you how serious this is," said Hackett. "You know better than any of us. Madam Prime Minister Elect, Councilor Elect, I am retiring as of today. Shepard is Admiral of the Alliance Navy and for the next two months, is still the Human Councilor. This is a matter of Galactic security and his authority in this area supersedes that of you both. Follow his lead on this; you'll find it very beneficial to your future political careers, not to mention the lives of everyone in the galaxy, your own included."

"As the Alliance Prime Minister until January," said Osoba, "Shepard will have the full backing of this office. Elspeth, Shepard has been a good friend to me, both personally and professionally. Stand with him, and when you are facing the worst, he will be standing there at your side."

Elspeth was silent for a few moments. As the Prime Minister Elect, she could talk all she wanted, but she had no real power as of yet. Osoba, on the other hand, was no lame duck on his way out, but was ascending to the position of Human Councilor, a post that Shepard currently held, and as such, the very popular Osoba still wielded a great deal of power and influence. She remembered talking to Shepard at Elijah Khan's charity event. He had really impressed her. She decided that she wanted to be on the right side of history.

"Very well," she finally said. "Councilor Shepard, if this emergency runs longer than two months, you will continue to have the full backing of this office. I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise," replied the war hero. "Shepard out."

#

"I'm sorry, but there is no interrogation method that you can employ that will break me," boasted the STG operative. It had been hours of trying, with no headway. Vega considered beating the tar out of him, but an STG operative was just a notch below a Spectre; physical intimidation was not going to be effective.

The merc commander, however, was not so well trained. Either that or he felt that his pay did not cover such circumstances. In fact, he was quite conversational.

"Yeah, I know why the lizards are here," he volunteered.

"Why are you here?" asked Zack.

"I'm a merc, kid," the merc laughed. "I'm paid to be here. But I aint paid enough to go up against this kind of opposition. Working security is one thing; fighting off commandos? Sorry, aint goin' there."

"So why are they here?" asked Vega as he walked in, frustrated from dealing with the Salarian.

"They think they can use the Yahg in a military capacity," replied the Merc.

"They're eating people!" Jane was outraged that a human would facilitate this.

"Yeah, but so what? We kill people for money, and sometimes just for sport," he countered.

"We don't," growled Vega. "And that's the only reason you aint dead yet, amigo, so spill it; how involved is the Salarian government and what kind of Salarian presence are we dealing with?"

"Couldn't tell you how much the government is involved," the merc answered. "I just know that there's about a platoon of the little geckos down here. Obnoxious little fucks; they think they're so smart; one of their scientists pissed off a Yahg and ended up on the menu."

"Can you give us a rundown of their defenses?" asked Zack.

"Sure, I can do that," he said. "I can also tell you that our boss is Vido Santiago. He's probably open to making a deal if things are going south for him."

"Yeah, well I've got a … contractor with me who's very interested in Mister Santiago," said Vega. At that point, an older, grizzled merc entered the room. Still robust, he wore the look of a man who had seen a lot of action. His right eye was white, and clearly blind, but his left eye contained a rage and fury that the captive merc had never seen in any foe, human or alien.

"Yeah, I'm interested, alright," the man said with a noticeable accent; possibly English or South African. As the merc's eyes began so show fear as he recognized Zaeed Massani, the older man gripped the captive's jaw and leaned in. "Any information you got, give it up. Otherwise, I'm gonna gut you." Then he looked at Vega. "Let me at the Salarian. I bet I can loosen the bastard's tongue.

#

Councilor Irissa was somewhat annoyed with being called to an emergency session of the Council by Shepard. _He's on his way out_, she thought. _Can't he just go quietly?_ But she had to admit that he never did such things frivolously. The fact that he wanted an in person meeting, as opposed to the usual vid-chat was inconvenient as well. She entered the council chambers and saw Quentius already seated, patiently waiting for the proceedings to begin and conversing with the also present Urdnot Bakara.

"Councilor Irissa," he said, standing to acknowledge her. "Good to see you." Bakara nodded, saying, "Councilor."

"You too," she replied. He was always so pleasant and easygoing, and for some reason, it just irked her. Councilor Linron soon followed, nodding to both she and Quentius before quietly sitting down. As if on cue, Shepard entered, walking briskly, his face wearing an expression of determination and, unless she was mistaken, anger.

"Esteemed colleagues," he began. "I'll get right to the point. It is common knowledge that the Alliance, Asari, and Quarian forces have been engaging the Yahg on Parnack. The Salarians opted not to participate in this operation."

"Tell us something we don't know," complained Irisa. "My schedule was already full when you called the meeting."

"Happy to oblige," replied the Human councilor. "The Salarians lied; they are participating."

"I was not aware of any participation on my government's part," protested Linron. "Where did you get this information?"

"Wouldn't you want to … press that fact, Councilor?" asked Quentius of Linron. "We would, after all, welcome your aid in this matter."

"Not this kind of aid," said Shepard. "I have a team on the ground who found that the Salarians are indeed participating, though not in the way we would have liked."

"What are you getting at, Shepard?" asked Linron tersely.

"STG and Salarian science and medical teams are working with the Yahg on Parnak in order to continue determining the feasibility of uplift for Salarian military advantage," said Shepard. "That's what I'm getting at."

Quentius' pleasant demeanor vanished and Irissa was livid. All of the color drained from Linron, and she shrank back, repeating, "No, no. It's not true. It can't be!" Suddenly, she was shouting, "Lies!"

"Linron, what have I to gain from this?" he asked. "I'm trying to retire, and we've worked productively for damn near a decade. Why would I ruin that now? I want to make things smooth for my successor, not leave him a political firestorm. Anyway, this OSD has the information." Shepard brought up the data, and there was the STG agent that Vega had captured, spilling the proverbial beans to Vega, Zack, and Jane. Shepard knew of Zaeed's involvement, but chose to leave that wrinkle out. "So here we are, ten years later, and I'm asking you the same question: what's it gonna be, Dalatrass?"

"Linron," said Quentius tersely, "after all the fuss you made about curing the Krogan, your people dare to do this? This is a breach of Council Law of the highest order!"

"My people," hissed Irissa, "have been enslaved and eaten by those … things!"

"I swear, I am not aware of anything of this nature," protested the Dalatrass. "This is abominable! I would never have given my approval to such … barbarism!"

"Well somebody did," replied Shepard, "and that somebody has sent ships. And while they haven't engaged the united force of Humans, Asari, and Quarians, are threatening and making a big effort to dissuade us from taking down the Yahg base."

"Early uplift of a violent species, mine," said Bakara, "caused centuries of unremitting warfare and a sterility plague that drove my people to the brink. Dalatrass Linron, I beseech you to urge your people to cease this operation at once. No good will come of it."

Irissa began typing furiously on her omni-tool console. "Thessia High Command will know of this now, as will the captain of the Destiny Ascension!" Quentius began typing out a message on his own omni tool. Linron stood frozen, unable to move or act. Shepard was pretty sure that she was telling the truth, and if so, he felt bad for her."

Assari High Command is sending in forces to deal with the Yahg," declared Irissa coldly. "And the Destiny Ascension has orders to fire at will on any Salarian ship in the vicinity."

"Turian High Command is sending a fleet as well," announced Quentius. "Primarch Victus wants to deal with this threat before it ever becomes a problem like the Krogan. Linron, I suggest you have your government arrange for the release of any captives on Parnack and withdraw." He then turned to Shepard. "I'm sorry John; the Primarch send his regards but I am sure that you will not agree with his course of action."

"Quentius …" but Shepard knew the answer before he asked the question. Quentius confirmed it.

"We will begin orbital bombardment of Parnack and raze Yahg population centers," declared Quentius.

"And the Asari will lend any support possible to the endeavor," added Irissa.

"The Krogan will not participate in genocide," declared Bakara. "And as a member of this council, I cannot condone it either!"

"Quenius, Irissa," entreated Shepard, "you must dissuade your governments from this action! This is bordering on genocide! I cannot condone this course of action either! The planet was quarantined in order to prevent just this kind of disaster!"

"And the Salarians have sold us out, violating that quarantine," protested Irisa.

"I know," retorted Shepard. "Very well; let's put it to a vote."

"The Turian Hierarchy votes to proceed," declared Quentius.

"As does the Asari Matriarchy," declared Irissa.

With the Reapers back, a subject that he had not even had the opportunity to broach, he could not afford to place the Alliance at odds with the Turians and the Asari. But he could not allow genocide either. He had to think fast. Then he remembered Aratot.

"The Systems Alliance votes against this action," declared Shepard, "but would like to offer an alternative solution."

"I'm listening," said Bakara hopefully.

"As am I," added Quentius. Irissa nodded.

"The Alliance will support any efforts to rescue captives," Shepard offered, "and will participate in said efforts. Also, we will support and assist in the destruction of all industrial centers capable of producing spacefaring vessels. Finally, I propose that we un-map the relay. We already know that we can do that; the relay can be removed from access by any other relays in the network, and all other relays can be programed to reject any signal coming from Parnack. The relay here in the Serpent Nebula can be programmed and the signal can be broadcast through the network. That would isolate Parnack and solve this problem without genocide. What say you?"

"Creative, Shepard," complimented Linron. "And feasible. The Salarian Union will vote to uphold your proposal."

"As does the Krogan Clan Council," added Bakara.

"Shepard, you never cease to amaze me," exclaimed Quentius. "That's a brilliant solution. Pending the Primarch's approval, I will vote yay on your proposal."

"Pending the Matriarchy's approval, I will as well," declared Irissa, "but this isn't over, Linron. There will be consequences!"

"Yes, there will be," agreed Linron. "I swear I knew nothing of this, but I also swear to get to the bottom of it."

"Great," said Shepard. "Now that we've averted a Yahg genocide, I need to get to the primary reason for this meeting."

"You mean that wasn't it?" gasped Linron.

"I wish that it were, but no it was not," said the war hero grimly. "What I have to say will sound … impossible. But I have received incontrovertible proof from the field that … that the Reapers have returned."

The room went silent. None of them could fathom this possibility, let alone offer intelligible counsel on it. As Shepard laid out the impossible situation, his colleagues were simply staggered by the implications. They numbly agreed that action needed to be taken and to follow Shepard's lead. Which turned out to be a multi species force heading to Ilos aboard the Normandy to investigate the situation.

The rest of the meeting resulted in the passage of Shepard's solution to the Parnack situation, as well as preparations for Shepard's successor, Dominic Osoba, to step in as the next Human councilor. When the meeting adjourned, all of the councilors left abruptly, returning to their respective embassies to appraise their governments of Shepard's terrifying revelation. Only Urdnot Bakara remained.

Of all of the other councilors, the hulking female Krogan was the only one who he truly enjoyed spending time with. Even Quentius, who he got along with, was not someone that Shepard felt any real connection to. Urdnot Bakara and Shepard, however, had forged a connection during the Reaper War. Irissa, Quentius, and Linron were nice enough at times, and professional, but they were no more than career politicians. Urdnot Bakara was wise and a true councilor, in every sense of the word. She was also the only councilor that Shepard felt like he could actually relax and be himself around her.

"The words do not exist to express how grateful I am for your action today," she said. "Between the Salarians' utter lack of ethics and the speed with which the Turians and the Asari were ready to commit genocide, I was afraid that galactic society was a failed experiment. Thankfully, you prevented a tragedy of horrific proportions. You know, that could have ended up being the tragedy that befell our people all over again."

"Between that and Alliance R&D just having to have the Human Proto Reaper," said Shepard, "I am always amazed at the opportunistic selfishness of the galaxy, not to mention the shortsightedness."

"I'd say it was because of how short lived they are, but we Krogan have been very shortsighted too, and we live many times longer than the Salarians." She laughed a deep, full laugh. "It seems that no matter how long lived a species is, we all seems to suffer the same foibles."

"Yeah," laughed Shepard. 'I'd call it human nature, but, you know."

Bakara laughed at the irony of Shepard's statement. "Yes, I know," she agreed. "Shepard, I believe that all of the sentient races of the galaxy have the capacity to be like the Yahg. We're all predatory in some way. We use different logic to justify our actions, but in the end, we all have that drive; even the Asari become feared mercs, just like the Krogan, while maintain a very refined slave trade on Illium, a practice normally associated with the Batarians. And even your own people have scientific hubris; just like the Salarians."

"Aint that the truth," he laughed. "Well, on a brighter note, Doctor Chakwas has had wonderful things to say about Krogan doctors. I was surprised when she retired in 2196 to go help the Krogan build up their medical practice, but I heard from her last week, and the report was glowing!"

"Yes," agreed Bakara, "and the most amazing thing to me was how many of our males have taken up the practice. I had thought that it would be mostly our females, but I was very pleasantly surprised. In fact, hard sciences have become a very acceptable career choice now. I never would have thought that I'd see Salarians working to help bring us up to speed, but that Paddock Wix has been a blessing to us." Then she giggled, something Shepard found highly amusing in such a massive creature. "Even more amazing is that after your rediscovery of the old city, historians and archaeologists have seized the historical treasure that you found for us. Human archaeologists led by your own Doctor Anne Bryson have been training our people on how to preserve and catalogue such finds. And as a result, Krogan philosophy has been rediscovered by our males! Shepard, we now have learned philosophers among us who engage in philosophical and debates with the Asari! And our females have rebuilt our clergy!"

"That's wonderful," Shepard agreed. "How is Wrex doing with all of this?"

"Wrex? He's become the 'philosopher chieftain' of clan Urdnot," she announced. "He's been grooming a successor, someone he and I have carefully vetted. But on top of that, he has established a council of chieftains, not unlike our Citadel Council, which rules all of Tuchanka. Needless to say, he's going to be on it."

"Bakara, this is wonderful news," he exclaimed. "I had hoped for a lot for your people, but you seem to be exceeding even that!"

"Yes, well after your legendary performance on Tuchanka and then against the Reapers," she said, "there is a theory that the Humans are descended from Krogan blood and are our long lost brethren. So you may find yourself considered more Krogan than just the honorary status Wrex has accorded you."

"Hah! I like that, Bakara. In fact, I'm honored."

"I had thought you might be, my friend." Bakara stood, finally needing to take her leave. "Shepard, it is always a pleasure to spend time in your company. Give Miranda and your younglings my regards and my blessings. And know that whatever action the Alliance plans to take against the Reapers, the Krogan will be there to support it."

"Thanks, Bakara. That means a lot, but it won't be just support; it will be a partnership of equals. Send Wrex your own younglings my regards, Bakara."

The two embraced warmly. It was not a casual embrace, but the sort shared between close friends. If any Krogan were a sister to Shepard, it was Bakara. And regardless of race, they considered each other family.

"Be well, my friend," she said. "And stay strong."

"You too, Bakara. You too."


	4. Chapter 3: Ilos

**Chapter 3**

**Ilos**

Unlike Shepard's first voyage to Ilos, the Council did not balk one bit at acting or at any of the demands he made for aid. In fact, the Asari, Turian, Salarian, and even the Quarian governments offered up information on ships of their own that had gone missing which were now confirmed to be in the Pangea Expanse. Their accounts matched the Alliance accounts; ships with Reaper tech and/or previously indoctrinated people aboard suddenly changed course or were launched and taken to Ilos.

Shepard made it clear that absolutely no Reaper Tech was to be recovered, ordering all of it to be disposed of by sending it into the nearest available sun once this operation was successful. He then pushed through legislation that would strip any council world of either its seat on the Council or of its embassy should their governments ever be caught with unreported Reaper Tech in the future, and with a two year compliance on disposal of all Reaper remains from the Reaper War, to be disposed of in a like manner to his orders regarding Ilos. Though hasty, it was his last, and possibly most binding piece of Council legislation. He then resigned his post, took up his post as Admiral of the Navy, and allowed Osoba and Murrain to move forward in their new positions.

Shepard ordered the Normandy home, he and Miranda to board her once more. Miranda took an indefinite leave of absence from school and prepared herself for one last field mission with her husband. It had been a decade since Miranda had really had to serve in the field, and while the Armax Arena had kept her skills fairly sharp, she knew that she was not what she had been. Age, accumulated injury, and civilian life had changed her irrevocably. _For the better_, she thought, but that did not change the fact that she was putting her life on the line again in the field, something she had not done in a very long time.

And John Shepard himself was older. A decade spent in the political arena, age, and more accumulated injury than Miranda had previously thought him incapable of surviving had also rendered him a very different physical specimen than he had been during the war. But unlike Miranda, John had kept up his training, regularly working with the Alliance Marines in training exercises, and of course, the Armax Arena. Whatever age an injury had done to him physically, there was no denying that he was still the deadliest man in the galaxy. And having faced down the Reapers en masse, a lone Reaper seemed almost like a treat.

"Happy Birthday, my genetically perfect love," said John as he joined her, a flight case in each of his hands. She realized that today, May 31st, was her birthday. He kissed her and handed her a card, then stood and waited for her to open it. She tore the envelope open like a little girl; birthday parties, presents, and cards were another thing that she had not received growing up, or during her time with Cerberus. In fact, until John threw her a party aboard the Normandy after the Collector mission, she had never had any of those things. Her time as a teacher meant regular birthday salutations, but she never lost the sense of anticipation at opening cards once she started receiving them.

John's card was a sappy one full of flower language and images of roses. When she opened it, she found tickets to a ballroom dance hosted by the Alliance Historical Society (AHS). She had to laugh; she had purchased dancing lessons for her husband years ago, and he had become surprisingly proficient. She loved formal dances, and if they survived their mission, they would attend the most formal of them all; the AHS's annual formal was a late nineteenth – early twentieth Century affair, and only a select few could even get tickets. _So romantic_, she thought. She threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately.

"Thank you," she gasped as she momentarily stopped kissing him.

"You're welcome," he said. "But there's more."

"Oh?"

"First of all, I want you to survive this," he said seriously as he opened up one of the flight cases. Inside was a new lightweight armored jump suit with the latest in shield generation technology."

"Ever practical," she said, "but very much appreciated."

"And now for the best part," he continued.

"There's more?"

"Yes. Come with me." John covered her eyes with his hands and led her downstairs. She was expecting a surprise party, but when he uncovered her eyes, she saw a rack upon which hung the most beautiful Edwardian era dress she had ever laid eyes on. Standing next to it was the tailor from the dress shop where she had gotten her wedding gown.

"We meet again, Mrs. Shepard," said her tailor.

#

The operation on Parnack had gone successfully. Alliance, Asari, Turian, and Quarian fleets were performing evac of captives while the Salarian fleet had collected their STG operatives and scientists and left. Zaeed had finally gotten his prize: Vido Santiago. Zaeed beat Santiago up so badly that he was barely recognizable as human, then the old bounty hunter tossed his former associate into a cryo-tube aboard his own transport and headed off to collect the bounty. Vega suspected that Massani would kill Santiago prior to collecting.

With all this going on, Vega was surprised when he was contacted by Alliance Command with orders to drop everything and immediately return to the Citadel as fast as possible. No details were given. He looked at Zack and Jane, both of whom were in the CIC at the time, but they shrugged. He was not surprised; being related to Shepard did not make them anymore than the Marine corporals that they were, and certainly not privy to classified information.

"Looks like you might have a chance to see your folks sooner than you though," he said, trying to put a positive spin on what was most likely not going to be a positive outcome.

"Maybe," said Zack, "but this is all rather ominous, don't you think? I mean, the Normandy is an advanced stealth warship with an AI pilot, one of the most decorated skippers in the fleet, and a hold chock full of N-6 marines. They don't just a ship like that out in the middle of a mission unless it's _really_ bad!"

"I'm inclined to agree," said Jane, sounding very much like Miranda, Vega observed. "With the London available, pulling the Normandy doesn't make much sense unless either both ships are needed, or the Normandy is specifically needed."

"Yeah," agreed Vega. "Guess we'll find out soon enough." Vega set the coordinates on the Galaxy map from the captain's chair, a feature Shepard had made sure to have added when he was still in command. Vega appreciated that feature very much. "Edi, take us to the Citadel, muy rapido!"

"Aye, aye, Captain," she replied. "Or should I say, 'Si, Senor Capitan'?"

"Si, mi amiga," he replied with a laugh."

#

Admiral Shepard stood at the platform with Miranda, dress uniform on for maximum effect. Admiral Williams-Vega stood with them, along with Doctor Liara T'Soni, Ambasador Tali Zorah, and Executor Garrus Vakarian. Behind them was Arlahk Company, led by Urdnot Grunt. It was an impressive sight to be sure. The Normandy pulled up to the platform and docked, the docking tube connecting as soon as the ship was clamped into place. The doors opened and Captain James Vega and his XO, Commander Esteban "Steve" Cortez, disembarked, firing off a crisp salute to Shepard, who saluted back.

"Hey Ash, Loco," he said nervously. "What's going on? And what's with all the Krogan?"

"We're boarding," said Shepard. "All of us. Make room in the cargo bay for Arlahk Company to bunk, and make room for our wives, Garrus, and Doctor T'Soni. Then meet me in the conference room in twenty and I'll fill you in."

"Yes Sir!" Vega saluted and then turned to his XO, and said, "You heard the man; get a second docking tube extended to the cargo bay, and bring Arlahk Company aboard."

"Yes Sir," said Cortez. As he turned to leave, Shepard caught his arm.

"Good to see you, Steve," said the war hero. "And damn glad you're on this mission."

"Thank you, Sir!" Steve and Shepard shared a manly embrace, and then Steve was off to turn Vega's orders into actions. Shepard then turned to Vega.

"James, I've already sent Edi the coordinates. Once we're all aboard, get us moving as quickly as possible."

"You know, you and my better half stole Normandy to go to Ilos back when you became a Spectre," joked Vega. "You're not … doing that again … are you?"

"Not exactly," Shepard replied. "I'm Admiral of the Navy and Human Councilor, so we don't need to steal it. Come on, amigo; I'll brief you inside. And James; It's damn good to see you again."

James relaxed at this. As Shepard and the rest boarded, Ashley joined him. He saluted her as a formality. Returning his salute, she laughed. "Hey Hon."

"Ash, what the hell's going one?"

"Come on," she said, taking his hand. "Shepard and I will brief you in the conference room. All I can say right now is that this mission is the most important mission we've had since the war, and Shepard wanted the Normandy and her skipper with him on it."

#

The Normandy got moving in less than five minutes, heading to the Pangea Expanse. This would be the first trip to Ilos for this Normandy, the original destroyed after the Battle of the Citadel. Shepard assembled his team in the conference room in twenty minutes to the second. It was truly a legendary gathering; the Shepard family; John, Miranda, and their children, Zack and Jane, the Vegas; Ashley and James, and Normandy alumni Edi, Garrus Vakarian, Liara T'Soni, Tali, and Urdnot Grunt. Zack and Jane felt almost like afterthoughts; everyone in the room was a hero, having proven themselves in the most horrific conflict in galactic history. It did not take long for Shepard to get things started.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "first of all, thank you for getting together on such short notice, especially James and Edi, who had to extract the Normandy from an important mission, and those of you who are not Alliance personnel."

He then called up a holograph of the Pangea Expanse.

"Over the past year, ships have been disappearing," he said. "And not just Human and Alliance ships; all of the Council worlds have reported similar incidents. All of these ships have one thing in common: they were all transporting Reaper Tech. And that tech went active, drawing them here." He zoomed in to Ilos.

"But Shepard," said Tali with some alarm, "Reaper tech doesn't radiate an indoctrination field without Reaper presence. And we defeated the Reapers."

"That's correct, Tali," he replied. "Liara, tell them what you found."

"I've intercepted communications that reveal the presence of a rear guard," said Liara. "We believe this presence, referred to only as Vindicator, to be a Sovereign class Reaper."

"Hah!" Grunt pounded his fist loudly and enthusiastically. "Reapers! Bout time we got something strong to fight again!"

"Leave it to Grunt to be happy to have Reapers to fight again," said Garrus drolly. Tali, now unmasked, rolled her now visibly beautiful eyes.

"You're shittin' me!" James could not believe it.

"Not one bit," said Shepard. "And whatever they have planned, it can only be to one end; galactic annihilation."

"We're fighting Reapers?" Jane was aghast. "Dad, we're not even N-7 yet! We've never fought …" but Shepard cut her off.

"You're a Shepard," he growled, "and sending Reapers back to hell is what we do. Now, we rendezvous with the Council fleet on the other side of that relay. Then we head to Ilos and take them down. I don't need to tell any of you that there's a good chance you may not come back from this. Remember, this is an act of desperation. Whatever they've got planned, they've got nothing to lose, so expect them to fight accordingly."

"Shepard," said Ashley softly, "what if there's more still out in dark space?"

"Then we'll send them back in pieces when they arrive," he replied. "We're operating on the premise that this is indeed the last one, and that if it isn't, then there are not a vast number out there waiting. Now, when we get to Ilos, the Normandy will punch through and land. Miranda and I will lead a small team in and take down their defenses. Then Grunt and Arlahk Company, and James and the Alliance marines aboard will steamroll anything in their paths. And when this is done, surviving N-6 Marines will get their N-7 commendations directly from me.

"Garrus, Liara, Ashley, Tali, and Zack and Jane, you're with Miranda and I. Edi, you know what to do if things go south."

"Yes sir," replied the android.

"Good," said Shepard. "Now get some rest, all of you. We'll be there in less than four hours. Dismissed."

#

John and Miranda were given the room that Thane had once occupied on the Collector mission. Shepard locked the door after they were both in. Miranda got her gear ready, as did John, and then stripped off her civilian clothing. John had removed his dress uniform and before Miranda could put on her field gear, he took her by the left shoulder and turned her around to face him.

"Don't get dressed, Miranda," he said. Before she could respond, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately. "This may be the last time I get to hold you, to love you."

"Shepard, I …" she began, but he touched her lip with his finger, silencing her. He removed the last of her clothing and laid her on the bed.

"I love you, Miranda," was all he said before kissing her again.

"Just like our time before the Omega 4 Relay," she whispered. "Promise me we'll come back from this mission and do this again."

"I promise."

#

John and Miranda put on the last of their gear in silence. No words were needed as the two of them prepared themselves for their first mission together in over a decade. It was as though no time had passed; they were perfectly in tune with each other. Miranda stood up straight as Shepard fastened the back latches of her armor and shield harness for her. He turned her around and kissed her again. For a moment, she thought he might undress her and make love to her again, but the door chimed, interrupting their kiss.

John called, "Enter," and Zack and Jane walked in. Both John and Miranda had expected a visit from their children. The normal supreme confidence that Jane had was conspicuously absent, and Zack, who was normally very calm and collected was visibly rattled. It was Jane who began the conversation.

"Mom, Dad, we're scared. I mean scared to death scared," she said, her voice wavering.

"We've fought super elite Reaper troops in the Armax Arena," added Zack. "Unless we're with you, we don't last long against them unless we have all of the player enhancements. Are those things as hard in real life as they are in the game?"

"Harder," replied John without hesitation.

"I don't know if we're up for this," said Jane. "If we die, and if you die, Mom, that's our entire family!"

"And if you die but we live," said Zack, "then I'll have lost two sets of parents."

"Dad," cried Jane, "I'm a Shepard; I'm not supposed to be afraid. But right now, I'm terrified."

John stood and pulled his daughter from her chair and hugged her. She threw her arms around him like she had done when she was a child and cried, her head buried in the chest plate of his N7 MK-VIII armor. He gently stroked her hair, letting her get it out of her system.

"Being a Shepard doesn't mean anything of the sort," said Miranda softly, a smile on her face. "It means you overcome your doubts and fears and get on with the mission. We all get scared and have doubts. That's normal. And you're going to face an enemy that isn't even supposed to exist; an enemy that is truly the stuff of nightmares. But I have faith in John, and in both of you."

"We'll make it," John said. And the Reapers won't. And that's a promise." Jane sat back down, calmed by her father's embrace and her mother's words. John turned to Zack and said, "You just watch out for your baby sister here. Do you remember when we first met?"

"Yeah," said Zack. "I was like twelve and scared out of my wits."

"What did I tell you?"

"You said that I had the makings of a great soldier."

"That's right," confirmed John. "And you've become one; both of you. Don't think that I don't keep up with your missions and progress; I do. Miranda and I both do. And we're very, very proud. Would have loved to have had you on the Collector mission. Now, go get your gear on and be the great soldiers we both know you are. Don't worry; we'll get through this."

Jane hugged her father again. "Thank you," she said through tears. "I love you Dad." Zack hugged Miranda and said, "Stay safe, Mom. I love you."

"Jane, Zack, we love you both so much," said Miranda putting her arms around them both. "Your father's right; we can do this. And believe me, I've learned that when he says we can, he's right; always. Never doubt it."

#

The Normandy came through the Pangea Expanse Relay, along with half of the Citadel fleet, including the Destiny Ascension and the Agincourt.

"Captain Vega," said Edi over the intercom, "Incoming message from the Agincourt."

"Patch it through, Edi," said Vega.

"Hey Vega, ready to kick some ass?" came Riley's voice

"Hell yeah," said Vega. "And I got someone here who'd like to say hello."

"Captain Riley, congratulations on that cruiser," said Shepard.

"Admiral, sir!"

"Relax," laughed Shepard. "Just kick some Reaper ass."

"With pleasure, sir."

"Alright Edi," said James, "Punch it till we get to Ilos. Let me know when we're entering the system."

"Yes sir," replied Edi.

Shepard and Vega took the lift to the shuttle bay. It was a long time since they'd both suited up for a mission together, and Vega was actually looking forward to it.

"Once more into the breach, eh, Amigo?"

"Once more," laughed Shepard. "And then hopefully, no more."

"I hear you," said Vega. "I'll be sayin' the same thing when I'm old."

"You'll be saying the same thing when you and Ash have kids," corrected Sheaprd. "Give you a whole new perspective."

"I bet it does."

The two veterans stepped out of the lift and into the shuttle bay, the rest of the team assembled and waiting on them. Shepard had to admit that it made him proud to be fighting alongside them once again. But this needed to be the end of the Reaper saga. And he intended for that need to be met; permanently.

"Alright people," said Shepard, returning their salutes. "We're coming up on the Refuge System at full speed. Normandy's and London's stealth systems are engaged, but the rest of the fleet does not have that luxury. We're already picking up Reaper signatures on the long range scans, so expect to be embattled immediately upon arrival. Once we engage the enemy, we'll punch through their lines and enter Ilos' orbit. From there, we'll take the shuttles.

"There's no room for error, but I don't expect any mistakes from any of you; you're the best there is. That's why you're here; it's why I wanted you here, all of you. The enemies we meet; some will be human. Others Asari, or Quarian, or Salarian. Remember; they're indoctrinated. Do not trust them. Do not fall for their ploys. We've provided shields for all of us that were designed by Doctor Anne Bryson and Edi. These shields will resist Reaper indoctrination. Trust each other and nobody else."

"So we kill them on sight?" asked Jane.

"Treat them like any other foe," said Shepard. "When they're shooting at you, you're shooting back. But beware of surrender or offers of cooperation; with a Reaper involved, you cannot trust them. Use your judgment, but remember; many of these people are not innocent civilians. They're mercenaries, terrorists, and criminals who got their hands on Reaper Tech. Some had intentions of overthrowing the Alliance government, while others sought to kill non-humans. Still others simply wanted power. Under Reaper control, they may try to deceive you. And a Reaper is more intelligent, more cunning, and more devious than any mortal, and through their servants, they can wield that intellect, cunning, and deviousness against you."

"Yup; kill them on sight," said Grunt, pounding his fists again.

"I'm inclined to agree," offered Garrus. "Until the Reaper is killed, they are its pawns. I say we go in, take out as many as we can as fast as we can, find out what they're doing on Ilos, and then shut it down."

"My thoughts as well," agreed Liara. "Normally, I would not recommend such boldness, but this situation demands it, I fear."

"So this is the plan," said Shepard. "My team and I go in, take down any defenses we can, while the marines and Arlahk Company do what they do best."

"Damn straight, amigo!" shouted Vega.

"Shepard," interjected Edi, "we are in the Refuge System."

"Give me a visual," ordered the Admiral.

"On screen now."

The holographic image of the forces arrayed against them came up before them, and sure enough, a Reaper flanked by a smorgasbord of mismatched ships stood between them and Ilos. While Zack had seen Reaper forces, he had never seen an actual Reaper, and certainly had never seen a capital ship. Vindicator was massive in relation to the Citadel ships; even the Destiny Ascension looked like a shuttlecraft as it faced the megalithic beast. Vindicator had four legs and an elephantine trunk flanked by massive tusks, each of which appeared to house its twin magnetohydrodynamic guns. A pair of glowing red 'eyes' surveyed the Citadel forces arrayed against it.

The image of the Reaper sent chills through him, and this was just an image. According to Miranda, Shepard had faced Reapers up close and personal, even going toe to toe against one on the ground, painting the target for the fleet while dodging its fire. Shepard was even said to have taken the blast from Harbinger and lived to go to the old Citadel and activate the Crucible. Now, Zack, Jane, and twenty marines too young to have fought against the Reapers must stand side by side with legends against a horror that was thought vanquished.

"Raise the fleet," said Shepard.

"Channel open," replied Edi.

"Turian and Human fleets, divide and flank the Reaper," ordered the war hero. "Destiny Ascension, lead the Asari fleet and take it head on! Quarian fleet, engage the smaller ships! Fighter squadrons, swarm in formations Alpha, Zeta, and Theta! Command Code Alpha – Sigma – Theta, execute!"

As the fleet obeyed his command, Shepard ordered Vega, "Punch through, Captain! Now!" An order that Vega immediately turned into action, ordering the Normandy ahead at full speed. With the stealth systems engaged, the Normandy slipped through the opposition and sped to Ilos.

"Alright people," shouted Shepard, "Get to the shuttles and prepare to land!"

#

The battle against Vindicator raged on as the Normandy punched through the line, stealthily speeding to the planet surface. Once they were in low, the Kodiaks deployed, and Vega turned command of the Normandy over to Commander Cortez, who rejoined the battle. Shepard led his legendary team into the complex, he, Garrus, and Liara the only ones who had ever been inside the complex. The brought the new Phalanx Dynagliders; light speeder bikes that would rapidly take them deep into the complex. Instruments showed activity down at the Conduit, though with the old Citadel gone, the Conduit no longer served its original function. But whatever it was that Vindicator's forces were up to, it involved the Conduit.

They met resistance, just as he had with Garrus and Liara years ago; but instead of Geth as it had been back then, it was husks, cannibals, marauders, and Cerberus.

"Shepard," said Garrus, "It looks like Cerberus is here in their entirety!"

"Wouldn't that be nice," Miranda chimed in. "We can take them out all at the same time; nice and neat."

"Let's hope so," Shepard agreed. "Now let's move!"

Shepard and his squad pushed on ahead, opening up the causeway to allow them access to the Conduit as the marines and Arlahk Company dealt with the resistance. Once the causeway was opened, they took their Dynagliders and pushed ahead as the heavy forces mopped up. It was much as Shepard had remembered it, but unlike his last visit, there was no force field thrown up to corral them into Vigil's chamber. They did stop there, nonetheless. Liara downloaded the last of Vigil's program, hoping to reconstruct it. Then they pushed on ahead.

They stopped just prior to the Conduit. Zack was amazed at the device. It was an upright mass relay, towering above the Reaper forces. There appeared to be at least fifty on the ground that they could see, mostly Cerberus. It looked as though they were activating the Conduit. Whatever they were doing, Shepard could not wait for the heavy forces of Arlahk Company and the marines to get there; he and his team needed to act now.

Jane was leading the marines, but Zack was there with him. The team was impressive; Ashley, Garrus, Liara, Tali, Vega, Miranda, Grunt, and Shepard himself. Zack was the only one from the academy up here with the team. He felt a moment of extreme pride at being in their company, but then felt very humbled by the fact that even Tali and Liara, seemingly benign and weak compared to the others, had survived Shepard's most dangerous missions. _Today_, he thought, _I take my place among the stars_.

Shepard deployed them, making maximum use of Zack's engineering expertise to help even the numbers. Zack's turrets kept popping up to harass the enemy while their squad fanned out and dispatched the enemy. No guile or attempts at surrender were forthcoming; the enemy was literally throwing themselves at Shepard's team, only to be cut down. Years of training and time with his parent in the Armax Arena had paid off; Zack more than held his own against the enemy. As he fought, he heard Garrus' voice.

"Come on Zack," called the Turian veteran. "Let's take out those engineers before they can get more turrets up and running!"

"Yes Sir!" Zack could not believe it; Garrus had called on him!

Zack and Garrus ran up the left flank and carefully took out the engineers, threading their way through the Cerberus lines. Zack was amazed that he could even keep up with the legendary Turian. At the same time, Liara and Tali were on the right flank taking out their engineers, as Shepard, Miranda, Vega, Ashley and Grunt mounted a full on frontal assault.

It did not take long for them to literally clear out all of the Cerberus forces. They got to the Conduit just in time to see two Cerberus Phantoms disappear into its crackling blue energy. The technician operating the machinery laughed as they closed on him. He was about to do something, but Shepard blew his hands off before he could push any buttons.

"If you want to keep your legs, you'll tell me where you just sent them," growled Shepard.

The technician just laughed however. "You're too late, Shepard," he spat. "Once they complete their mission, you will have never existed. And the harvest will be successful!"

The marines and Arlahk Company arrived, securing the area, and Jane joined her brother and parents. At the same time, Shepard got word from Cortez.

"Admiral," said his former shuttle pilot, "I am pleased to say that Vindicator is destroyed! And Normandy delivered the finishing blow!"

"There's a captaincy awaiting you, Steve," replied Shepard. "Thanks!"

"So what do we do with this clown?" asked Vega.

"We make him talk," said Ashley, shooting him in the leg. "The hard way."

"He doesn't need to," said Miranda. "I've already hacked into their systems; we know what they're doing."

"And what are they doing?" Shepard asked. "And are we too late to stop them?"

"Too late to prevent them from going through," she replied. "But your removal of his hands prevented him from detonating the Conduit and stopping us from going after them."

"Shepard," said Liara, "they've turned the Conduit into a time portal. They've gone back to Earth in the twentieth century to kill someone called Stetson. Lee Stetson, and a woman, Amanda King. Honestly, it doesn't make sense to me."

Shepard stood silently for a moment, contemplating the repercussions. Finally, stone faced, he spoke.

"Stetson is my mother's maiden name," announced Shepard darkly. "He was kind of like Miranda without biotics; a top agent, and a legend in our family. Amanda King was his partner, and later his wife. She was a stenographer who worked for the US Central Intelligence Agency, who eventually became a field agent. If they're killed, I will never exist."

"But an agent like him should be able to take down these guys," said Zack hopefully. "shouldn't he?"

"I don't know," said Shepard. "Scarecrow, that was his codename, was good; damn good. But they don't have the technology to deal with Cerberus Phantoms. And unlike Scarecrow, Amanda was not known to have any combat ability. No Zack; they'll be dead before they know unless someone goes back to stop those phantoms. And the only someone who's taking on this mission is me."

"Shepard, wait," said Miranda. "There are two of them, and you can't show up looking like space marine."

"You're right," he said. As Shepard began removing his armor, Jane ran up and threw her arms around him.

"NO!" she cried. "You can't! Without your gear, you'll die!"

"That's what my clone thought when he sent his fully armored goons in with assault rifles and shotguns against me while I was eating sushi with nothing but my fists to defend myself," he said. "Took 'em all out."

Liara placed her hand on Jane's shoulder. "Trust your father," she said to the young marine. "He's survived horrors you can't imagine, and hopefully never will have to."

"Shepard's just as deadly in a tuxedo as he is in armor," said Ashley.

"And with deadly good looks to boot," added Miranda. "Don't worry, Jane. I'll be with him. You won't lose us. Either of us."

"Either of you …" Jane suddenly realize that Miranda intended to go through as well. "Don't go mom!"

"Jane, I have to," said Miranda sternly. "My place is at his side. And in the twentieth century, my biotics will be a major asset to him. You're a soldier now, so wipe away the tears and let us do what we need to."

"But you'll have no way back!" exclaimed Zack.

"I'll get Brynn and Jacob together with our top scientists and get a way built for them to return," said Liara. "But right now, they need to go. Time is literally of the essence."

Shepard removed the last of his armor as Zack and Jane said their goodbyes to Miranda. Then he took them three of them in an embrace.

"We love you both, far more than you can ever imagine," he said. "And I promise that we'll not only survive, but that we'll come back to you. Somehow, we'll come back to you. I've already made arrangements in the meantime should we be gone for an extended period. You've both made me proud today. You're both N-7. You're both Shepards. In the Krogan tongue, the word for 'hero' is Shepard. Now go back to the Alliance and show them why!"

Miranda kissed her children, tears coming to her own eyes as they parted. "We love you," she said. "We will always love you, my beautiful children. If we don't do this, you'll never be free of the Reapers."

"And as your father," said Shepard, "I'm making damn sure that you'll never have to deal with those bastards again. Now let's move out!"

With that, Shepard and Miranda, each armed with only a pistol and protected only by a lightly armored under harness and a shield harness, ran to the conduit and leapt into its beam. And in a flash of blue energy, they were gone."


	5. Chapter 4: Lady of the 80's

**Chapter 4**

**She's a 1980 Lady**

Amanda King was returning home from IFF (International Federal Film). Of course, IFF did not exist; it was just cover for the Agency. She like being in the office with Lee in the Q-Bureau, but still hated having to hide her relationship with him from her family. Not that they would believe her. She had once actually told her mother the truth about her working for the Agency in order to get her to leave Washington to avoid a potential nuclear detonation, but her mother had simply written it off as histrionics and an attempt to get something.

And then there was Lee; hiding that just killed her. Philip and Jamie liked him, but she wished that she could make Lee more a part of their lives. Of course, with her mother's curiosity about her relationship with Lee, it might just be a matter of time. She thought about these things as she drove her Wagoneer, absently noticing the Ford LTD II sedan behind her. She missed her own LTD II wagon, and had to smile at the site of the car. It was only then that she realized that the same car had been following her since she left IFF.

It still amazed her how quickly Lee picked up on things like that. She hoped that maybe some of that was rubbing off on her. She decided to take a page from Lee's book and took a left turn where she normally would have turned right. Sure enough, the car followed. She sped up just a little, and the car kept pace. She took another left turn, knowing that she could get back around to the Agency if she needed to. That was when a large man in what looked like military fatigues raced out from the right hand curb, momentarily alongside her Jeep, just long enough to grab the mirror and step up on the running board. He drew a pistol, but instead of firing at her, he fired two shots into the windshield of the car behind her, killing both of the occupants.

He opened the door and swung into her passenger seat in a clean motion. She was about to speak, but he shouted, "Drive!"

#

Miranda watched from the 1978 Chrysler Cordoba she had hijacked. Her omni-tool had come in handy; she had hacked into the Motor Vehicle's database and actually created a false identity, registering the car to herself. Normally, she would be more considerate of the car's rightful owner, but given that the 'rightful owner' was a Soviet spy, she was not at all concerned. She had to laugh; hacking the primitive MVA had been far more of a challenge than any of her prior hacking exercises. For one, there was no extranet and virtually no internet; it was 1987, and only just beginning to be used outside of the defense department and military.

But after configuring her omni-tool to interface with 20th century telephone systems, she was able to do it. It was refreshing to not have to deal with offensive counter hacking measures, but tedious nonetheless. Now, she had the vehicle registration and a license that would maintain her cover. Thanks to the dead Soviets, four in one car, she now had money. Hiding the bodies had been simple enough; she had used her biotics to manipulate their bodies and have them appear to walk away, only to collapse in an alley behind a bar. Now she was parked in front of IFF waiting for Lee Stetson to exit the building.

Sure enough, he did. "Good looking man," she said aloud as she admired Shepard's ancestor. He got into a 1984 Corvette and drove away. Miranda hoped the big Chrysler was up to the task of keeping up with him. Shepard had gone after Amanda King earlier. _I'll have to share my cash with him when we meet again_, she thought. She wondered how creative he had gotten with his omni-tool, or if he had simply done what he always does; bludgeon his way through until he found a break.

#

Amanda slammed on the brakes, hoping that his being unbelted would catch him off guard, but he simply braced himself against her dash board as if the car were standing still.

"I am not driving one inch further until you tell me what's going on," she declared. "And I think you should know that I have two small boys, Philip and Jamie, and a mother who worries. I'd really like to see them again, so please don't kill me.

"I'm John Shepard," he said, "and I'm on your side. And if you don't drive away, right now, we'll have to explain those two corpses to the police. I'm sure you hear the sirens. Now drive; I'll explain as we go."

She was surprised that he did not point the gun at her to get her to comply. Instead, he had holstered his weapon. She put the Jeep in drive and took off briskly.

"Where am I going?" she asked.

"The beltway," he replied. "That will give me time to explain. Just understand that your life, and the lives of your family are in grave danger."

"Why are they after me?"

"They're not," explained Shepard as she drove. "They're after me."

"You?" Amanda was confused. "If they're after you, then what do I have to do with it?"

"Because they've already tried and failed to kill me," he explained. "Many times. They nearly succeeded once, and I was technically dead; but I didn't stay that way, and they lived to regret it. Now they're going after you and Lee to get to me."

"What does he have to do with this?" she asked. "Is it the Russians?"

"No," he said. "But they'll use the Russians; and traitorous American citizens, and even patriotic American citizens that they can manage to dupe. Miranda's watching out for Lee, but we both agreed that with his combat capability and your utter lack thereof, you needed as much of an edge as possible, so she's with him and I'm with you."

"Who's Miranda?"

"My wife."

Amanda drove in silence with her passenger. Now that she was not being chased and he was not shooting at people, she snuck a few looks at him as she drove. He wore his hair short, much shorter than Lee's, though not quite a military crew cut. It reminded her more of a Navy cut. He was very handsome, with prominent cheekbones and a strong jaw and chin, but had seen some serious action. Heavy scarring was visible on his neck, and when he turned around to look out the back window, affording her a look at the right side of his face, she could see that he had deep facial scarring on his lower right cheek. A wicked scar also graced his left cheek, just below his eye, and a forehead scar went up into his hairline. His hands also were rough and scarred. His sleeves were rolled up above his elbows, affording her a view of his forearms. Corded with muscle, he looked to be carved from granite. Like his neck and hands, his forearms bore the marks of many battles, and in places, it looked as if he had been badly burned at some point. He was as tall as Lee, from what she could tell, but where Lee was long and lanky, this Shepard was a powerhouse. Even his military style fatigues could not disguise his robust torso. She decided that she had admired him long enough.

"Alright," she said. "You told me you'd explain as we drove. Well I'm driving, and I think that it's only fair that you give me that explanation. I mean, I don't want to pry, but you did jump into my moving vehicle, and order me onto the beltway, and you said that that was so you could explain as we drove, so we're driving and I would really feel better if I had that explanation. Did I mention that I have two small boys?"

"Yes, you did, and you've earned that explanation," said Shepard. "Alright, first of all, and I cannot emphasize this enough: if either you or Lee Stetson are killed, then I'm gone. If I'm gone, then there are things that must take place that cannot take place, and if those things do not take place, then an unimaginable number of people will die."

"How … are you … gone," she asked, "if Lee or I are killed?"

"I'm getting to that," he said, "but there are some preliminaries that I need to get out of the way; this is unbelievable enough as it is; dropping the tail end of it on you without the preliminaries would guarantee your disbelief. And it is vitally important that you believe me."

"Okay, so suppose I do believe you," she said cautiously, "what then?"

"There is a xenophobic group called Cerberus," explained Shepard. "And Cerberus wants me gone. Cerberus is willing to sacrifice humanity in order to achieve its misguided goals, and that means killing me."

"Why would a xenophobic group want to sacrifice all of humanity?" That made no sense to Amanda. "Wouldn't they just want to sacrifice everyone different?"

"Normally, that logic would hold true," he said. "But they are not a rational group. Anyway, there's more, so hear me out."

She nodded and he continued.

"Cerberus has been subverted by a more diabolical force," he went on. "This force has been codenamed, 'The Reapers,' and it is really the Reapers who are behind Cerberus."

"This sounds crazy," she said.

"I spent two years of my life warning people about the Reapers and getting that exact same response," he said with a laugh. "But the Reapers are real, and when they finally showed themselves, people didn't think it was so crazy."

"But why would anyone seek their own self destruction?" Amanda still could not wrap her head around Shepard's words. She was beginning to think that he might be insane.

"Because the Reapers are AI," he explained. "Artificial intelligence."

"Like Data on the new Star Trek show?"

"No; like Skynet in Terminator," he said, very thankful that he had taken classes on twentieth century Earth years ago in order to better understand his own species' history.

Amanda felt the color drain from her face. She had a feeling that she knew where he was going with this, and she did not like it; not one bit. She saw an exit and took it. She did not know how she could overcome this clearly well trained and very powerful man, but she knew that she had to figure something out. By now, he had put his seatbelt on, so catapulting him through the windshield by running into a pole was not an option. Besides, he had already proven resistant to such efforts. As she got off on Route 7, she wondered why he had not said anything. She knew he had to know that they were off of the beltway. What he said next made her blood run cold.

"You saw them too," he said approvingly. "You're instincts are good. Definitely Cerberus."

She looked into the rear view mirror and noticed a large Ford F350 truck with some kind of brush guard on the front closing fast. Then someone leaned out the passenger window and trained a sniper rifle on her, its laser site visible in the mirror, and guiding the shooter straight to her head. Shepard simply turned and aimed his pistol and fired. The man's head exploded as Shepard's bullet penetrated the gun's scope, the shooter's eye, and then the back of his skull, causing his head to literally explode, leaving only a stump between his shoulders. Shepard's second shot penetrated the truck's windshield, causing the driver's head to suffer the same fate as that of the shooter's. The truck veered off sharply and struck an oncoming tractor trailer.

Amanda held it together long enough to pull into a gas station. She jumped out and fell to her knees, vomiting from the sight of exploding heads. Shepard got out and steadied her, then shook her.

"Come on! Let's move!" He took her by the arm and hauled her to her feet. She looked up and saw from the crashed truck, an armored figure had emerged. It was too much like the Terminator for Amanda's comfort, and she nearly fainted, but she saw that it was carrying a pistol and a sword. Instead of coming after them, however, it approached a car that had stopped and killed the driver with a thrust of the sword through the driver's window. Shepard began shooting, and started after it, but it got into the car and drove away, leaving the dead woman on the ground. Amanda saw the bullets ricochet off of the figure's helmet, accompanied by a flash of blue light around … her. It was a woman in that armor, Amanda was sure of it.

"Damn!" Shepard holstered his weapon just in time for six squad cars to arrive. Amanda ran to the pay phone; Lee had a new car phone and she hoped to God that he picked up before this Shepard man was killed. The phone rang as the police confronted Shepard.

"Drop your weapon!" one of them shouted.

"My weapon is holstered," replied Shepard. "I suggest you holster your own if you want it to stay that way." There were twelve cops and sirens in the distance heralded more. Amanda could not believe that he refused to back down.

One of the officers fired a shot at him, and the bullet was absorbed in a bluish glow, just like what the armored woman had protecting her. Shepard was enraged. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," she cried as the phone rang. That was when Shepard went into action.

He did not draw his pistol, but he closed on the officer who had fired at him, swatting the gun from his hand and slamming his elbow into the man's face, breaking the man's jaw and sending teeth scattering across the pavement. Simultaneously, he back kicked another in the chest, the sickening sound of snapping bones accompanying the impact. The other officers took cover behind the squad cars, but Shepard vaulted over the hood of one of the cars and took out two more officers before they could train their weapons on him, their shots going wild. After putting their heads though the vehicle glass, he drew his own pistol and shot the guns from the hand of two more officers, then closed and knocked them out cold. He turned on the remaining officers.

"Holster your weapons," he growled. "Or I'll start getting serious." He began walking towards them, but they did not comply. They instead began shooting. He rolled out of the way and came up right in front of them, quickly taking them out in hand to hand combat. He then turned to a horrified Amanda and said, "They'll live."

Lee never did pick up, but she did leave him a message and quickly got into her Jeep and got back onto the beltway, hoping that nobody had gotten her tag number. She had to get him away from the cops; he was far more dangerous than she could have possibly imagined, and she was afraid that if the police confronted him again, he would not be so "gentle" with them. She knew that Lee could fight, and fight very well, but she had never seen him fight like that. Whoever this Shepard was, he was a deadly and very, very dangerous man. She only hoped that he really was on her side.

#

Lee Stetson came out of the IFF building and just missed a phone call. He waited a few moments, starting the car and situating himself before calling in and checking messages. He really loved the new tech; no more hunting for a pay phone, no more missing alerts from Billy and Francine; they could reach him on the road and give him the most up to date information. He then called the voicemail and checked the messages. He was immediately anxious when he heard Amanda's panicked voice.

"Lee, it's Amanda! I'm being chased! They're trying to kill us! There's a soldier looking man called Shepard and he says he's on our side! I'm at a gas station on Route 7, but as soon as I can, I'm going to get him out of here and onto the beltway before he kills the cops! Please hurry! I'll be going south on 495! If you've got a tracker in my car, please use it! He said we're in trouble and that a woman named Miranda will be trying to contact you. Oh, God! So much blood! So much blood!"

The call ended, but before it did, he heard a male voice in the background shout, "Come on! Let's move!"

He was about to drive off when his passenger door opened and an impossibly beautiful woman sat down in the car next to him pointing a pistol at him.

"Sorry to be so abrupt," she said with a mellifluous Australian accent, "but I'm Miranda, and you need to come with me."

"I just got a call from Amanda," countered Lee. "Now, if you're involved with this Shepard guy, then they're running from … someone, or something, and they're on 495. I can't leave her alone with him."

"Actually, you can," replied Miranda. "She's safer with him than with anyone on Earth. Or off of it, for that matter. But I can't risk the two of you being in the same place. Not yet."

"So you're here to protect me," he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Then you won't use that gun," he replied smugly, slamming the car into gear while putting the pedal to the floor and dumping the clutch. He loved this car! The Vette responded to his every command as though it were on rails. His old Porsche was a child's go-cart by comparison. Miranda sighed and holstered her gun.

"You know, you're a lot like him," she said admiringly. "Shepard, that is."

"Oh yeah, and what's he to you?"

"My husband," she said proudly, a broad smile on her face. "And he's very much connected to you and your own wife, Amanda."

"How the hell did you find out about that?" he asked, very perturbed. "Not even the agency knows about that!"

"We have our ways," she said. "Don't worry; all will be made clear soon enough. Now, since you're bound and determined to meet with her in person, I may as well facilitate that; better to have us both with you at the same time. Now … what are you doing?" She noticed him sharply deviating from his prior course.

"Losing a tail," he said. "So, do your bogies wear weird armor?"

"Yes," she replied. She turned to look through the back window and saw a Monte Carlo gaining on them, a phantom hanging out the window taking aim with a rifle. Miranda quickly rolled her own window down and shot the passenger side tire and causing the Monte to veer sharply to the right and strike a row of parked cars.

"Nice shooting," complimented Lee, amazed that she got such a difficult shot so easily.

"Thanks," replied Miranda, holstering her gun and activating a wristband that produced a holographic interface.

"What the hell is that?" he half asked half shouted.

"My omni-tool," she replied. "Shepard, it's Miranda. Do you copy?"

"Yeah, I copy," came a male voice. "I've got Amanda; Cerberus already tried to move on us; we've got at least one phantom on our hands."

"Yes," she replied. "Lee and I just lost one. I obtained a car, but we're in his Corvette right now, and coming your way. I'll have him arrange for a safe place to meet; I'm sure a man in his profession knows of at least one safe house. I'll contact you when I have more information. And Shepard? I love you."

"I love you too, Miranda," the man replied, a softness now in his voice.

"Alright, Scarecrow," she said. "I have a fix on them. Now get us a secure place for us to meet."

#

"What the heck was that thing?" asked Amanda after Shepard finished his call with Miranda.

"Cerberus Phantom," he replied. "They're fast, nimble, and deadly. Without my heavy armor, it's actually a match for me; normally, I take them out with little effort."

"Not her," clarified Amanda. "I meant the thing on your arm."

"My arm?"

"Your arm," she replied. "It looked like a hologram, and you were talking into it to Miranda. I guess she's with Lee, but I didn't hear his voice, but she acted like she was with him, so I assume she was, and that we're all going to meet because …" Shepard touched her arm, causing her to stiffen and go silent.

"Amanda, it's alright," he said. "Yes, she's made contact with Scarecrow. I understand he's a fairly rough and tumble guy, so between them they should be fine. Now, the thing on my arm is an omni-tool."

"An omni-tool?"

"Yes, an omni-tool," he confirmed. "It serves as a communications device, complete with video conference, GPS, spectral analyzer, computer, and medi-gel dispenser. Hell, mine even has a flame thrower."

"What's a GPS?"

"Global Positioning System," he replied.

"What's that?" she asked, still not sure what he was talking about.

"A mapping system," he explained. "It tells you where you are and how to get where you want to go. Miranda hacked into key satellites in order to have current data."

"Oh." Amanda did not like the sound of that. This Miranda sounded foreign when she called, and her ability to hack into satellites was a serious national security risk. Suddenly, his communicator chimed and he turned on the omni-tool again.

"Talk to me, Miranda," he said.

"John, the Scarecrow has arranged a place for us to meet," she said, her Australian accent very plain to Amanda. "He's contacted his people; someone named Billy and Francine. Tell Miranda to get to Lee Highway. I'm sending the nav point to your omni tool now."

"Good work, Miranda."

"Let's not pat ourselves on the back just yet," Miranda replied. "We've just picked up a tail. Probably more Cerberus bastards."

"Lee," cried Amanda, "Are you there?"

"I can hear you Amanda," they heard Lee say in the background. "I'm in the middle of a chase, so stick with Shepard. This Cerberus sure brought a lot of people with them."

"Actually," corrected Miranda, "only two came through. But we think that they're either duping Soviet spies into working with them, or they're controlling people with nanides. Or very likely both. They may try to subvert known enemies of Scarecrow, or even friends, so be on your guard, John. "

"When am I not?"

"Never, I suppose," Miranda replied. "Just take extra care. I'll keep my eyes open at this end. We should be there soon; Mister Stetson's driving is impressive, so we may be able to lose them without my drawing my gun."

"Now where's the fun in that?" asked Shepard with a laugh.

"Very funny," Miranda said sarcastically.

"Hah, I thought so," replied Shepard.

"You would, my indestructible juggernaut of destruction," she laughed. "But the rest of us aren't so invincible."

"See you soon, Miranda, and don't be stingy with the biotics; they may come in handy."

"Oh, they already have," she replied. "Which reminds me; I have cash for you; I took it from the four Soviet spies I had to kill in order to get to Lee. Remind me to give it to you."

"Four spies?" they heard Lee exclaim.

"See you later, John. Miranda out."

Shepard had the omni tool project the map onto Amanda's windshield, causing her to gasp and veer momentarily, but she regained her composure and continued driving, heading to the location on Shepard's map. So far, he had displayed a level of technology that she was not aware even existed. She wondered what the story behind it all was. Where did it come from? And how come Lee did not have any; that bullet resistant energy field would really make her feel a lot more secure.


	6. Chapter 5: Danger Man

**Chapter 5**

**Watch out! He's a Danger Man**

Lee had done a remarkable job of outdriving their pursuers, particularly as they were in a Porsche 928, one of the few production cars capable of keeping up with his Corvette. But he had the feeling that it was a little too easy; almost like they were herding them into a trap. He quickly spun the back of his Vette around a hundred and eighty degrees, catching Miranda off guard, causing her to gasp, and then driving right past the car chasing them while shooting at them from his own window. As the Porsche came about, Miranda fired three shots; one at each of the left hand tires, and one into the driver. All three found their mark.

"Impressive, Scarecrow," she said. "I daresay we make a very good team."

"Agreed," he said, "but don't get comfy; we're being chased again; whatever they had waiting for us down there is punching it to get to us."

Sure enough, Miranda could see two cars closing; late sixties cars with lots of power. One was a 1969 Mustang and the other 1970 Chevelle. She could hear their exhaust notes from the window of Lee's Corvette, so she knew that they were not in stock trim, and they were closing fast.

"Doesn't this thing have any more power?" she asked in frustration.

"Tons, but I'm not driving headlong into that," he said, pointing ahead. Miranda looked up and saw a tractor trailer pulled across the road, boxing them in. No driving out of this one; they'd have to escape on foot. Lee spun the car around to face the Mustang and the Chevelle and stopped for a moment, revving the engine.

"Miranda, start shooting," he commanded. He then wound it up to about eight thousand RPM and with a loud battle cry, dumped the clutch, causing the rear tires to shriek as the powerful car was catapulted towards the oncoming cars. Miranda dutifully began shooting, thankful that the older cars did not have so much front overhang. She caught the left front tire of the Chevelle, causing it to veer left, creating some space in the center, while Lee fired repeatedly at the Mustang, finally hitting the driver as they passed by.

"I see it runs in the family," said Miranda approvingly.

"What family?" he asked. "What do you know about my family?"

"Not as much as I'd like to, apparently," she said. "But I know the important part; you are the era's top agent, and not just in your own country. There really is nobody better than you at this, Lee Stetson. Well, maybe me, but I don't count; I'm not from your era."

"When all this is over, you'll have to put your money where your mouth is," laughed Lee.

"Oh, I'll do that long before this is over," she said confidently. "But unlike yourself, I was genetically engineered to be the best. And the next time we're in a bind like that, it's my turn to show off."

"Oh no," he said sternly. "Not behind the wheel of my car it isn't."

"Oh, I won't need to be driving," she boasted. "You'll see soon enough. Now let's get to that safe house."

#

Amanda had followed her instincts and taken the wrong direction on Lee Highway. She did not have the driving skills that Lee did, but she knew they were being tailed. It seemed that some of Lee's instincts really had rubbed off on her. That was when she noticed Shepard loading a shotgun.

"Where did you get that?"

"I took it from one of those sorry excuses for a policeman," he said. "He'll be in the hospital for months after tangling with me, so he won't be needing it. After we're gone, you and Lee can have the Agency return it to them."

"Do you always do this?" she asked, "Beat people up and take their stuff?"

"Only weapons and ammunition," replied Shepard. "This is war, in case you hadn't noticed, and I'll win no matter what, no matter the cost. We fight or we die. Speaking of which …" He leaned out the passenger window and fired off two shots into the windshield of the tailing car, blasting two massive holes in it and taking out the driver and passenger. "Now you can turn around and get us to that safe house before anyone else starts following us."

Amanda did as he said, but was very uncomfortable, especially with his comment that they were at war. That explained his actions with the police; she was certain that he would have killed them without a second thought if it had been necessary, which prompted her to wonder if civilians would be equally at risk around this man. She made a few turns along the way, so as to arrive via an indirect route. The end result was that they arrived at the safe house without picking up any more tails. The "house" was in a sleepy little neighborhood, prompting Amanda to worry about the nearby residents, should they be discovered. They garaged her Jeep and went inside.

"Alright Shepard, I'm going to ask you this, and I need a straight answer," she said as boldly as she could muster. In truth, she was terrified of this man, but she had to know. "What is your connection to Lee and I?"

"Sit down," he said. She complied, and he sat down across from her. "You and Lee are married," He began.

"How do you know?"

"Amanda," he said, "please wait until I've finished to ask questions; I'll probably answer most of them in the telling. Now, you and Lee are married. Very shortly, you will conceive and have a son. In fact, you may already have conceived; it's 1987 and your son will be born in the first half of 1988."

Amanda got very quiet at this. The idea of having a child with Lee was one of her most cherished dreams. But the fact that this Shepard knew about really bothered her.

"Your son will go on to do great things," he continued, "though I will refrain from giving you any telling information. Just know that he leads a good life and makes both of you very proud. He also will marry and have kids of his own, including a son. You will have grandchildren, and you will have great-grandchildren, Amanda, and great-great-grandchildren, one of whom will live to see the discovery of an ancient base in the South Pole in the year 2148. The following year, the Systems Alliance Charter is ratified; Humanity will colonize the solar system, and the Alliance is the governing body of Human territory. By this point, Earth will be united and wars will have ceased. In 2149, we also discover that what was thought to be a moon of Pluto is actually a Mass Relay, and further discoveries on Mars bring us the knowledge of how to use it. This brought us into a thriving Galactic community, as the Mass Relay enabled travel between star systems."

_Interstellar travel; my children will see interplanetary colonization, interstellar travel, and an Earth free of war_, she thought. The ramifications of this were staggering.

"That great-great grandson of yours will have a son, and then a granddaughter in 2120, who will bear the name of Stetson. Hannah Stetson. She married Captain Aldous Shepard in 2150, and in 2154, they have a son, John Shepard; me."

Amanda looked at the man before her. If he were to be believed, he was from the future, and was her own flesh and blood. Now, his comment that if she and Lee were killed, he would be gone, suddenly made sense. But what was it that had to happen? What required him specifically? And if that something did not happen, if he were to be believed, humanity would be wiped out.

"In 2183, I was sent to a Human colony, Eden Prime," he continued. "Humanity had discovered a Prothean beacon. The Protheans were an ancient race that had once had a galactic empire, but were suddenly snuffed out 50,000 years ago. I won't go into gross detail, but through the beacon, and subsequent discoveries, I learned that an ancient machine called 'The Reapers' were responsible for wiping them out, along with all advanced sentient life in the galaxy. And the Reapers had done this every 50,000 years for millions of years. We stymied the Reaper forces that year, but they returned two and a half years later in force, precipitating the Reaper War. We won, but at great cost. I was the one who united the galaxy against them. Miranda was at my side through much of it, and we made life together after the war.

"But ten years after their defeat, a lone Reaper, waiting in Dark Space, returned to activate a contingency plan: send an agent back in time to kill you and Lee. That way, I will never have been born and the galaxy would remain in disunity, enabling the Reapers to complete what they called 'the harvest,' which would wipe out humanity, and all space flight-capable races in the galaxy."

"So … what … are you in the future?" she asked, curious to know what kind of man he was.

"An Alliance marine, N7," he said. "I was skipper of the SSV Normandy during the war, and later became the Human Councilor. I retired from that post recently, and was made Admiral of the Navy. Aside from that, Miranda and I have two wonderful children; Zack and Jane. They're in the Alliance marine corps now as well."

"What is Miranda?"

"A former operative, much like the Scarecrow," he explained. "She worked for Cerberus, but saw what they were really about and came to the Alliance' side during the war. Now, she's a school teacher."

"Is she as dangerous as you?"

"According to her, nobody's as dangerous as me."

#

The enemy had finally managed to box in Lee and Miranda. It seemed that the Russians were involved in whoever Miranda was fighting against. Lee hated the idea of his fiberglass bodied Corvette being exposed to gunfire, but he hated the idea of getting shot himself even more. He swung the door open and shot the two agents coming up behind them, then turned and took out a few ahead of them, as Miranda dealt with their right flank. From one of the cars emerged an armored woman with a pistol and a sword. She charged at him. He fired in rapid succession at her, but an energy field absorbed his shots. Before she was on him, a violent energy shockwave blasted her back. That was when Miranda came around, her entire person crackling with blue energy.

The armored woman regrouped and charged in again. Miranda launched another attack at her, but she dodged it and came up, thrusting her sword at Miranda. Miranda sidestepped, receiving only a grazing blow, but the gunshot from the pistol caught her in the back. Thankfully, her shields minimized the damage. Lee kicked the woman's sword hand with a snap kick, causing her to drop it. As she brought the gun to bear on him, he disarmed her with a crescent kick and then fired his remaining bullets into her chest.

At close range, the bullets actually struck her armor, and while they did not penetrate, they knocked her backward, allowing Lee to close and slam his elbow into her head. He grabbed her right arm, turned, and threw her over his back, bringing her down flat on her own back. He quickly slid his right shin behind her elbow and twisted her wrist around his leg, exerting a sharp, downward pressure on the bent appendage. He heard the tell-tail snapping of the wrist, and a cry of pain. Miranda slammed her with another shockwave, sending her into one of their cars. She recovered instantly, and dove into the car and drove off. Lee took the pistol the phantom had dropped.

"Maybe this will penetrate that thing's armor," he said.

"Cerberus phantoms are among the deadliest hand to hand combatants in the galaxy," declared Miranda. "And you fought her to a standstill, breaking her wrist in the process. I must say; I had my doubts when Shepard said you were the best covert operative in history, but you've proven me wrong."

"Shepard says I'm the best?" Lee was still catching his breath from the fight.

"Yes," she beamed. "And he would know; he's the best there is. Now come on; we've got to get to that safe house."

Lee obliged and got the car moving, driving out through the space opened up by the departing phantom. Lee wondered what the hell Miranda was packing. And then wondered where he could get one.

"Biotics," she said.

"No offense," he said, "but I fail to see the significance of yogurt to this situation."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I've tried not to use them, but there was no way to keep them hidden; my ability to manipulate dark energy and use it to hurl shockwaves, throw up barriers, and knock people and things aside; it's called biotics. Unrelated to the ingredients of yogurt, by the way."

"I see," he said. "And where can I get some?"

"You can't," she said. "For one, it doesn't exist in this time on Earth. For another, you must be born with the ability. In my case, I was engineered from birth to have them." Miranda suddenly winced, and made a sharp intake of air. That's when Lee noticed a deep slice on her left side along her lower ribs. She activated her omni-tool and it applied a thick coating of some kind of gel to the wound, causing the bleeding to stop. "Damn bitch grazed me with that sword."

"Well, at least I got her gun," remarked Lee.

"Yes," said Miranda, "and you'll need it. But when all this is over, that gun must come with us; it cannot stay her under any circumstances. Humanity is not ready for Mass Effect technology yet."

"Mass Effect?" asked Lee, "What the hell is that?"

"It would take longer for me to explain than the time we have," she replied. "All you need to know is that it is a very advanced technology that humanity will discover about two hundred years from now, at which point we will have survived our desire to wipe ourselves out with nuclear weapons."

"Now that's the first bit of good news you've given me since you showed up here," he said.

"Yes, well you'll get the rest when we arrive."

As they sped off, the radio started playing a song called, "Danger Man," performed by a band called Four out of Five Doctors, according to the DJ. _Fitting_, she thought; _the Scarecrow really lives up that moniker_."

#

"Yes, yes, I know it's not normal procedure," said Billy. "Your men got caught up in a major shootout between foreign agents and our own boys. Yes, that's right; it was the Soviet agents in that Ford pickup. We have them ID-ed; Victor Chernenko and Ivan Drosky. No, we couldn't risk it; they've posed as police before, and this was vital. Unfortunately, your officers enabled the escape of their ringleader, so consider yourselves fortunate that a few bumps on the head, scratches and bruises are all you got out of it. Uh-huh. Thank you, good day."

Billy looked at Francine as he hung up the phone. It was not a happy look. Francine had heard about the Scarecrow and Amanda getting mixed up in … something. And apparently, some super-agents had teamed up with them, with a lot of property damage, injured police officers, and one dead civilian at the hands of the Soviets. So far, over twenty Soviet agents had been recovered, all of them dead. Whatever was going on, it was big, and it came quite literally out of nowhere.

"I hate damage control," said Billy. "I got a call from the Scarecrow; he, Amanda, and this Miranda and the Shepherd are meeting at one of our safe houses. I want you, Fredericks, and Moyers to meet them there and get to the bottom of this!"

"But sir, shouldn't …"

"Francine, this Shepherd, whoever he is, is a menace, and I'm afraid that if this isn't contained, he'll leave a trail of bodies the likes of which this city's never seen! Now move!"

#

Francine, Fielder, and Moyer pulled up to the safe house at the same time Lee and Miranda did. A soon as she was out of the car, they pointed their guns at her.

"Weapons on the ground, hands where we can see them," ordered Francine.

"Don't do this Francine," warned Lee. "This is bigger than you can imagine; a lot bigger!"

"All the same," said Francine, "she doesn't comply and she'll be breathing through a few new holes in her chest."

"That's alright," said Miranda, handing her pistol to Lee. "I can retrieve it at will."

"We'll stop you if you try," warned Francine.

"You won't have the chance," laughed Miranda. "Now let's stop this nonsense and get inside before we're seen."

The five of them entered the safe house, where they saw Amanda and Shepard inside. Francine, Moyer and Fielder immediately pointed their weapons at Shepard, who immediately had his pointed back.

"No," cried Amanda, "we're all on the same side, and I don't want Francine to die!"

"Relinquish your gun mister," ordered Francine. "Now!"

"I'll relinquish one bullet," growled Shepard. "Where do you want it?"

"We're agents, Shepherd," said Francine, "not cops. You'll find us a lot tougher."

"Francine," scolded Lee, "this is hardly necessary. They're on our side, and they don't answer to us."

"Can it, Lee," said Francine. "I'm not backing down on this one."

"Oh yes you are," said Shepard, discharging three shots in rapid succession, taking the guns right out of their hands. Before they could respond, Shepard grabbed Fielder's face as though he were palming a basketball, and slammed the back of his head into Moyer's face, knocking both men out cold. He then holstered his gun and looked at Francine. "Your move, bimbo."

"What was it you called him?" Lee asked Miranda. "Juggernaut of destruction?"

"Mmm hmm," she said as Lee handed her back her pistol.

When Francine could do nothing more than stutter and cry, Shepard pointed to the sofa and said, "Sit." Francine complied with alacrity. Shepard then turned to Lee and said, "Scarecrow?" Lee nodded, at which point, Shepard extended his hand. Lee shook his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Shepard. "Admiral John Shepard, Alliance Navy."

"Lee Stetson," replied the Scarecrow, "but then, you already know that, don't you?"

Shepard nodded. Standing together, Amanda could clearly see the difference in their heft; Lee was lithe and athletic while Shepard looked like a heavyweight boxer. But in their eyes was the same determination, the same strength. Both men exuded a confidence that set them apart from other men. Now that she could see Miranda, she realized that Shepard's wife had that same presence and intensity. _Schoolteacher_, she thought. _She must have the most well behaved class in history_. Lee then went to Amanda and embraced her, kissing her briefly.

"I was so worried about you when I got your call," he said.

"I'm just glad you're here now," she replied, holding him tightly. "Shepard means well, but he's a very violent man."

"So I've noticed," said Lee.

"Sorry," said Shepard. "I'm trying to minimize collateral damage, but if any of you ever point a gun at me again, don't expect to survive the experience." Then he looked at Lee. "Unfortunately, the three of them cannot be here."

"I'm not budging," protested Francine, but Shepard silenced her with a glare.

"Francine, I was not expecting Billy to send anyone," said Lee. "And given what I already know, I think he's right. We need as few people on this as possible, and you three are three too many. Besides, these men probably have concussions. Get them to a hospital for examination."

"Perhaps I have a solution," said Miranda, standing and facing Francine. "I'm not what you think." The air around Miranda suddenly crackled with energy, and Francine's eyes went wide. Suddenly, Miranda unleashed a biotic pulse that knocked Francine out cold. Then she activated her omni-tool. "All bugs disabled," she reported.

"Good," said Shepard, "now we can get started."

Shepard and Miranda laid out the entire scenario, everything from Saren to Sovereign, from the Collectors to Cerberus, and finally the Reaper War, the aftermath, and the reawakening of Vindicator. Lee and Amanda listened intently, weighing and sifting what their alleged descendants had to say. It took over an hour, as there was a lot to go over. Francine slept through it all.

"So, the two of you came back from the future to stop these Phantoms from killing us," Lee said, "otherwise, you two will never exist and humanity will be destroyed. That sum it up?"

"Pretty much," said Shepard.

"They're subverting Russian agents in order to provide them with some kind of muscle," said Miranda, "but that won't last long; we're killing them faster than they can replenish. But believe me, they'll find someone to work with them."

Lee had to make a decision. As crazy as it sounded, he knew what he had seen. And so did Amanda. When he was at an impasse that could not be solved strictly by facts and information, he tended to go with his gut feeling, and his gut was telling him to trust Shepard and Miranda.

"This is crazy," he said. "And I'd be a fool to believe it, but God help me, I believe it. Now, you two are from the future, and you know about these Phantoms and Reapers, but we're from the past, and we know this area and the customs better than you ever will. Now, we've set them back, but we haven't stopped them. But together, I think we've got a shot."

"I agree," said Miranda. "By the way, Shepard, Scarecrow here closed with a phantom while it was attacking me; he kicked the gun right out of her hand and then put her in a lock and broke her wrist. I can't wait to see what the three of us are like together."

"What about me?" asked Amanda. "I can't fight these things."

"No," said Lee, "but you always get that missing piece and make the connection. Now, we've got to be on top of our game, but I think we can pull this off."

Miranda had to laugh; Lee reminded her so much of Shepard. Of course, once they pulled it off, they'd need to find a way back. _One thing at a time_, she thought. _One thing at a time_.


	7. Chapter 6: A Plan Comes Together

**Chapter 6**

**I Love it When a Plan Comes Together!**

The battered Nissan Maxima pulled into the abandoned warehouse late at night. Riddled with bullet holes, it was a wonder that she had made it without attracting police attention. Her wrist was still limp from the Scarecrow's sharp dislocation of it, and bones had most definitely been broken. It was healing slowly, her armor holding it in place and administering regular infusions of medi-gel. This reminded her of … of something; something that nagged at her through all the haze; something that had been long buried. But what was it?

She stumbled out of the car, noticing how badly her chest hurt. The Scarecrow had shot her in the chest at close range with his pistol, and while it could not pierce her armor, it was still painful. Estimations of the Scarecrow's fighting ability were way off, and that had cost them valuable time. She dragged the door open, revealing the massive duplicate of the conduit that she and her partner had utilized nanide-injected slaves to construct, having brought enough element-zero with them for the project. It was nearly complete, and the drones they had subverted dutifully worked out their nanide-induced tasks, utilizing skills and knowledge that they would not possess without the nanide infusions, and which they would lose at the end of the project. Of course, they would most likely be killed once their goals had been accomplished.

Her partner waited in the office area of the warehouse, hopefully with the people she had intended to retrieve. She limped into the office, and sure enough, a middle aged woman and two middle school aged boys were tied to chairs and gagged. She took off her helmet and undid the chestpiece, finally glad to be able to freely breathe.

"I fail to see how this will help," she said. "Things like this have been tried before; Shepard has thwarted every attempt at it."

"Relax, Beta," replied her partner. "Our goal is to draw Lee Stetson and Amanda King here and kill them. Once that's done, Shepard will be gone. Nothing can save him from this one."

Save. Why did that word ring in her head? _No; I'm trying to save you_. The words rang in her head, hanging out in the open, disconnected from anything she knew.

"Beta," said her partner, "is something wrong?"

"My wrist is still healing," she replied, not wanting to go into her emotional and mental quandary. "And my chest will be bruised for days, even with the medi-gel."

"Good," noted her partner. "I was worried that you might be having other issues."

Other issues; that was how they described operatives who began questioning their directives. But she was not questioning her directives; she was questioning whether or not there was more to her past than she had previously thought. Ever since the trip through the Conduit, she had been having memories of a life she did not know. And the normal presence of directing whispers in her mind was gone. She wondered if Alpha felt it too, but did not want to risk asking; 'other issues' was something that a partner could terminate you for in the field.

"What are they to him?" she asked.

"They're Amanda King's mother and children," replied Alpha. "I left just enough for her to piece together what happened and where they might be. With the Scarecrow, she should be able to find us without any serious difficulty. And Shepard and Miranda will be right there with them."

"Once we kill the King woman and the Scarecrow," asked Beta, "what do we do with Miranda?"

"Neutralize her and bring her back with us," Alpha explained. "She will be given the nanides, reprogrammed and used in the creation of a new phantom."

"And what about them?"

"Once they've served their purpose, we'll kill them."

#

The four of them agreed to remain in pairs, though Miranda specifically asked to watch over Amanda. Over the past ten years, she had become a wife and a mother. She thought that perhaps it might be fun to spend time with Amanda, who had those things in common with her. And Shepard would actually get to work side by side with a family legend. Of course, there was still Francine and the two agents to deal with. Shepard woke them up, and thankfully, they were okay.

"Wha happened?" Francine was barely coherent.

"You slipped on a banana peel," said Lee, "taking out Moyer and Fielder when you went down."

"Really?" Francine was annoyed with Lee's sarcasm.

"Well, was trying to be kind," he replied. "But since you want realism, you and two other senior agents, all three of whom had their guns drawn, were taken out by one guy in less than a tenth of a second. That better?"

"Shepherd," she groaned.

"Shepard," corrected the Alliance admiral. "I don't herd sheep and my name only has one h."

"Shepard?" asked Francine.

"Yeah," replied Shepard.

"I could have sworn that Miranda was glowing," recalled Francine, rubbing her head.

"Let's keep glow in the dark women to ourselves, shall we?" suggested Lee.

Francine, Fielder, and Moyer quickly exited, not wanting to be anywhere near Shepard, trusting the Scarecrow to handle things. Billy was not going to be happy. This left the Scarecrow, Shepard, Amanda, and Miranda free to take the next step.

"First things first," said Amanda, "I need to get home and check on Philip and Jamie. I've already called home and I get no answer, and they're never out at this hour. Lee, I'm really worried."

"Come on," said Lee, "We'll get to your place, make sure they're okay, and then we'll take it from there."

#

As they drove, Amanda was clearly nervous. Miranda decided to try to make some small talk with her to calm her down. It amazed her how timid Amanda was; she had expected someone more like herself, but instead, Amanda was literally just an average civilian.

"Tell me about how you met the Scarecrow," said Miranda, figuring that Amanda would calm down a bit if she started talking.

"Oh, Lee?" Amanda blushed, then giggled. "Oh, it was so cute, though I didn't think so at the time. I was dropping my boyfriend off; well, we aren't dating now, obviously, and we never did get that close, but I was dating him to make my mother happy, though mother, her name is Dotty, with a 'y' not an 'ie, was always on the lookout for a rich bachelor for me to marry. She was always really into the idea of marrying into money and living the highlife, but that was her dream, not mine, and …"

"You know," said Miranda, gently cutting her off, "you would have really gotten on well with Mordin Solis."

"We both have kids?"

"You both ramble on and on," laughed Miranda. "Though his rambles were full of scientific jargon and whatever else was locked away in that Salarian brain of his. So about Lee; tell me how you met him."

#

"You got anything this fast in your day?" asked Lee, proud of his Corvette.

"Hah," laughed Shepard, "the average skycar will crack the speed of sound in an open stretch. And the Normandy is the fastest ship in existence, but for an internal combustion engine still riding on tires? This thing great!"

Lee felt a bit silly asking the question now, but he wanted to make some conversation; it was not often that one could talk with one's descendant about the future.

"So, judging by Miranda," said Lee, "I take it that spies are still an integral part of national security?"

"Oh yes," laughed Shepard, "Though I was the Spectre."

"Spectre?"

"Special Tactics and Reconnaissance," Shepard explained. "We were literally the top agents in the galaxy, and we were considered above the law. I could go anywhere, had access to literally any equipment that I needed, and never had to worry about paperwork."

"Sounds like a dream," laughed Lee.

"It had its perks, that's for sure," said Shepard, "but the Citadel Council was a pain in my ass. It wasn't until I was on it that it really turned around, though fresh blood from the other Council races after the war was extremely helpful."

"So this Citadel Council," said Lee, "It's like the UN? But on a galactic scale?"

"That's a pretty accurate analogy," said Shepard, "though the Council has a lot more real authority than the UN does. Still, all the authority in the galaxy didn't matter when they had their heads up their asses. Hah! Politicians are the weeds of the galaxy."

"But you became a politician," chided Lee.

"Don't remind me," laughed Shepard. "I bludgeoned my way through many a council meeting. I was so glad to finally be out of there. While I really hate that I have to fight Reapers again, I've gotta admit that it's nice being back in the field."

"I know what you mean," said Lee. "I hate every second I'm behind that desk. Or did before Amanda had a desk right next to me. Now we hate it together."

Shepard laughed, but then both of them became serious as they pulled up to Amanda's home. It had clearly been hit by Cerberus. The front door had been blown off of the hinges and there was a thermal clip laying on the front lawn. Shepard collected that quickly, then drew his own pistol, as did Lee. Amanda's Jeep pulled up right behind them, Amanda bolting from the car and to their side.

"Looks like Cerberus has been here," said Shepard. "I found a thermal clip; definitely not Soviets."

"Phillip! Jamie! Mother," Amanda cried. "Why?"

"To lure you to them," said Miranda, joining them. "And unfortunately, walking into their trap is the most convenient way to solve this whole mess.""

"We don't walk into traps," corrected Shepard. "We bring our own and spring on them when we get there."

"I like the way you think, Shepard," said Lee. "Now, let's get in there and see what clues they've left us."

They cautiously entered the house, but it soon became apparent that nobody was home. The living room was thoroughly demolished and Amanda's family had been taken. They noticed a business card laying on the ground; Suffolk & Hart HVAC. There was an address on the card and a phone number. The card was left laying where they could easily see it.

"Well, I guess we know where they are," observed Miranda.

"Yes, but Suffolk and Hart went out of business," noted Amanda. "We used to use them, but they shut down years ago."

"This is a warehouse," said Lee. "And an abandoned one, I'd bet."

"How perfectly cliché," laughed Miranda. "I assume you have a means of finding this place without GPS?"

"I don't know what GPS is," said Lee, "But I know the general area where the address is. I've got maps in the car, and we may be able to get a floor plan at the agency."

"Good," said Miranda. "I can pick up my car; it might help to have a vehicle they won't recognize."

"I just want my family back," cried Amanda. "Promise me they'll be safe!"

"I promise," said Shepard. "And when we get them, we'll make sure Cerberus and the Reapers can never harm them again, ever!"

#

"He knocked the three of you out while you had your guns drawn on him?" Billy could not believe it. "How? How is this possible?"

"He shot the guns right out of our hands," complained Francine. "Then he was on us before we even saw him move. I'm telling you, Billy, we had no chance whatsoever against him. In a straight up fight, I don't even think Scarecrow could handle this guy."

"And what the hell were you doing, Fielder?" asked a frustrated Billy.

"Um … pointing my gun at him," said Fielder lamely.

"Great," groused Billy. "Just great. We've got a super-agent who's tougher than twelve cops three agents, and one Scarecrow, who has a wife who, if Francine is to be believed, has some kind of pulse weapon, and both of whom are in cahoots with Scarecrow and Amanda, and we have no idea where they are."

"I'm right here," came a deep baritone. All eyes turned as a tall, powerful man swung the door open and strode in, Scarecrow, Amanda, and Miranda behind him. "And I need your help."

Francine, Moyer, and Fielder cowered and moved to the other side of the room, drawing their weapons. Lee began furiously brushing his hands through his hair, exclaiming, "Unbelievable! Just unbelievable! Will the three of you put those things down? They're on our side, for crying out loud!"

"You need my help?" Billy asked Shepard.

"Yeah," said Lee, placing the business card on Billy's desk. "Floor-plans, including any under sections of this warehouse. They've got Amanda's family, and we need to get them back."

"I thought you said we were three too many," pouted Francine.

"For the information that we had to share," said Miranda, "you were."

"Scarecrow," scolded Billy, "you've brought foreign agents into the agency headquarters and you're asking for help. That's bold, even for you."

"Please," plead Amanda. "They have Phillip and Jamie. They have my mother. Please don't argue, Francine; their lives are at stake."

"We're not foreign agents," assured Shepard. "I can't tell you exactly who or what we are; I told the Scarecrow and Amanda. No offense, but I can't trust this information to anyone else. But I understand that the Scarecrow is your best man. If you trust him, and I damn well hope that you do, then you need to trust me. Now, I've taken out enough Soviet agents in the process of completing my mission, while minimizing collateral damage; you have no reason to doubt me. Time is running out, so it's now or never. You want to be responsible for the death of Amanda's family? For the deaths of millions? Because if I don't succeed, that's what you're looking at. And I'll succeed in this mission, no matter what the cost, so unless you want me to get what I need by force, then you'll swallow your pride and help us, because if you don't, then that's what it's gonna be."

Fielder aimed his gun at Shepard, who had his own gun in the agent's face faster than Fielder could react. "Drop it," the war hero commanded.

"Got dammit!" Lee swore, swiftly kicking Fielder's gun from his hand. "Do you have some kind of death wish, Fielder? This is bigger than all of us, so get us those damned floor plans and for God's sake, stop pulling your gun!"

"Do you trust me, Shepard?" asked Billy. Shepard looked at Lee and Amanda.

"He's Billy Melrose," said Lee. "You can trust him." Shepard nodded.

"Alright, Francine, get those floor plans on the double," ordered Billy. "Everyone, out of my office now, except Shepard."

They complied, and leaving Billy Melrose alone with Admiral John Shepard. A soon as the door closed, Billy offered Shepard a cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepted.

"Alright," said Billy, "I've known Lee and Amanda for years, and I trust them more than I've trusted anyone. Now, make your case."

Shepard activated his omni-tool, disabling any surveillance equipment. Billy's eyes went wide at the sight of the holographic computer. Shepard downed his coffee and sat down across from Billy.

"Alright," he began, "I'm Admiral John Shepard, Alliance Navy and Council Spectre, and on my mission rests the fate of the galaxy."

Shepard laid it all out for Billy, and was able to do so in a fairly rapid amount of time. Everything from the Reapers, to Cerberus, to the Alliance, to the Council, and finally, mass effect technology and his own relationship to the Scarecrow and Amanda. He hated to do it, but he had to reveal Lee and Amanda's marriage. Billy listened intently, finding it both fascinating and terrifying. Finally, after a few long moments of silence, he spoke.

"I believe you," he said. "And I already figured out that Lee and Amanda were married; made me a happy man. Now, I'll green-light this and give you all the help you need on one condition."

"Which is?"

"Francine and I are in," said Billy. "No tech for the government, no sharing of future information. But if we're going to vouch for Lee and Amanda after you're gone, then we need to see it ourselves. And make no mistake; Francine is a trustworthy and capable agent, even if she's a bit hard to get along with. Do we have a deal?" Billy stood and extended his hand.

"We do," said Shepard, standing and shaking Billy's hand. "Now let's move out!"

#

Amanda was surprised at how well Miranda could handle a 20th century car as the former operative followed Lee's Corvette with relative ease. But her main concern were Phillip, Jamie, and her mother. Given that Cerberus' goal was to kill Shepard by killing Lee and Amanda, she could not imagine that they'd let her family live too. And time was of the essence; the longer this went on, the more likely it was that innocents would be harmed, particularly her boys and her mother. _They must be terrified_, she thought.

"Don't worry," said Miranda. "We'll get them back. Shepard never fails, and I get the feeling that your Scarecrow doesn't either."

"Thank you," said Amanda, wiping tears from her eyes. "But I can't help it. Apart from Lee, they're my entire life."

"I know the feeling," said Miranda, her voice softening. "It's very hard sometimes to think about Zack and Jane being in the marines. Their last mission had them going into what amounted to a war zone. They're barely twenty two years old, Amanda. I don't know what I'd do if I ever got that call that every military parent dreads. I think I'd be more prepared for it to be John; I'm used to him running off to face insane odds, but to lose my children, children that we raised, I don't think I could bear it."

"How did you deal with them joining the military?" asked Amanda, hoping for some useful advice should Philip and Jamie ever wish to join.

"Well, my husband is Admiral of the Navy I worked as a covert operative for a paramilitary organization, and later with the Alliance," said Miranda, "so I may not be the best person to ask. I know the risks involved, but I also have a very keen sense of just how fragile civilian life and peace really are. Wartime not-withstanding, the military is likely safer than civilian life. Personally, I think everyone should serve, even of only for two years."

"So it didn't worry you at all?"

"Oh, I didn't say that," laughed Miranda. "When they signed up for the marine corps, I worred. I know what my husband went through, and was quite literally at the top of the top one percent! N7; if you wear that designation, then you've been through the harshest training imaginable. Even people who wash out of the program are considered top shelf just for having qualified for entry. And both of my children joined the program."

"You'll have to excuse me," said Amanda, "but I don't know what N7 is."

"Interplanetary Combatives Training," clarified Miranda. "Only the very best even qualify. I was very proud that both of my kids did, but it's a dangerous and very harsh program."

"But your kids," said Amanda, "you have a son and a daughter."

"Yes," beamed Miranda.

"How did she qualify?" asked Amanda. "Women can't go into combat zones."

"They can in my day," laughed Miranda. "We don't have the same divisions in gender roles that you have now, though believe me, our women are still very womanly."

"I can see that looking at you," said Amanda, a twinge of jealousy in her voice. "You're very … curvaceous and voluptuous."

"I was genetically engineered," laughed Miranda. "Most women don't have my looks."

"Your time must be an amazing time to be alive," said Amanda.

"Every time is an amazing time to be alive," said Miranda. "Seize life by the horns and force it to be amazing. I think you and Lee probably do that now. Besides, there's something to be said for living in a time without so much technology."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," agreed Miranda. "Now let's get your family back."

#

Lee parked a few blocks away from the warehouse, not wanting to give away their position. Shepard really wished he had his heavy armor for this one. He and Lee signaled Billy and Miranda that they were on the move and began creeping closer to the warehouse. Shepard took out his omni-tool and began scanning, surprised to find a mass effect field.

"Lee," he said, "I'm reading a powerful mass effect field signature."

"Is that bad?" asked the Scarecrow.

"Well, there shouldn't be any mass effect fields in this century," explained Shepard, "but our guns do contain some level of mass effect technology. But this is way more than a gun."

"Admiral Shepard," said Amanda, "how did you get here?"

"Through a time portal created by the conduit," he said. "Why?"

"Did you have a … door to come through here?"

"Yes," he said. "Prothean relics have been discovered, but kept secret. They have a miniature mass relay in the basement of your Smithsonian, but nobody knows what it does; they seem to think that it's some kind of generator. But it's not configured to send us back through time. Why?"

"Did you leave it operational when you got here?" asked Amanda.

"No; Miranda removed its eezo core. Why?"

"Well, I bet they want to get home and they probably know you sabotaged the one in Washington," explained Amanda. "They've probably built their own."

"Makes sense, actually," said Miranda. "They probably brought enough eezo with them to build a personal relay, and brought the signatures and coordinates of the Conduit with them."

"But how would they build something like that?" asked Shepard. "Phantoms don't have that kind of training."

"No, but with nanides, they can get whatever workforce they desire," explained Miranda.

"Well that's good news for us," said Shepard. "Now we can get home. Looks like the plan is finally coming together. But first we need to rescue Amanda's family and take out Cerberus."

"Shepard," said Billy, "Francine and I are in position. I've got a police barricade around the area, so they won't just be able to slip away, and about thirty of our best agents. Don't worry; they don't know the true nature of the mission."

"Thanks, Billy," said Shepard. "Lee, are you ready to move?"

"You kidding?" asked the Scarecrow. "I was born ready."

"Alright," said Shepard. "Miranda will circle around so that we'll have the warehouse flanked. There's an entrance at each end. Miranda will infiltrate here." Shepard pointed on his omni-tool holo-map to the west entrance. "You and I will penetrate here," he continued pointing to the east entrance.

"You really think I'm using the door?" asked Miranda.

"I'd be shocked if you did," laughed Shepard. "Alright; once we give the signal, Billy, you and Francine move in."

"What about me?" asked Amanda.

"You're an agent, right?" asked Miranda.

"I am," confirmed Amanda.

"Then you'll come with me," said Miranda. "I think this mission needs a bit of girl power, don't you?"

"Amanda, are you sure?" asked Lee, worried for her safety.

"That's my family, Lee," said Amanda with determination. "I'm not sitting back while you guys go in and do all the fighting."

Lee had only moments to decide whether or not to tell Amanda to hang back. Given how helpful she frequently was, and often in very unexpected, and unpredictable ways, he decided not to discourage her.

"Alright Amanda," he said. "You just be careful! And Miranda, keep her safe; that's my wife, and if she dies, you lose your husband."

"Not happening," said Shepard. "We're going in, we're getting this done, and we're taking them down. No mistakes, no missed opportunities, and no one gets left behind. Now let's move!"


	8. Chapter 7: Shifting Loyalties

**Chapter 7**

**Shifting Loyalties**

_I'll be more than happy to cooperate with the authorities. _She shook her head. _Did I say those words?_

_Maya, _said someone, a man she remembered, _I know that voice._

_Do you really? Yes, I did say that. But … to whom?_

_You're getting a chance to redeem yourself, _said the man._ Don't waste it._

_So serious. Admit it; some part of you liked having me around, looking up to the legend. _Yes, that was definitely her own voice, but who was the man? Who's legend? _We had some laughs. And who knows? Maybe we'll have some more someday. You know you'll miss me._

_No, we won't. Because you're going to stay in your cell and do your time_, said the man.

_Afraid I'll escape? Come back for revenge? Is the great Commander Shepard pleading for his life?_ she remembered asking the question of … Commander Shepard?

_No, I'm pleading for yours._ came the response. From … Shepard?

_Then I suppose I'm off to lock up. You know, he wouldn't have let me live,_ she had said.

_You can't clone everything,_ replied Commander Shepard?

Yes, Commander Shepard, she was sure of it. Beta played the sequence over and over. Somehow, the word, 'save' had led her through her memories back to this moment, this confrontation. She had faced Commander Shepard in the past. But when? And how? Clearly, she had survived, though she had lost out in the exchange. "But what was the exchange? Who is Maya? If I'm remembering it, is she … me? Why can't I remember?"

"Beta," barked Alpha. "Snap out of it!"

Alpha's sharp reprimand brought Beta out of her out of her contemplation, causing her head to literally snap up. "What?" she asked, looking around.

"Snap out of it," repeated Alpha. "You were talking, asking questions. I couldn't make it all out, but snap out of it!"

Beta … no; Maya, realized that at some point, she had begun to voice her inner monologue. _Not good_, she thought, berating herself. This had been a very vivid flashback. _I am Maya_, she thought. _But Maya who?_ Those questions would have to wait; Alpha was walking over to her. As her partner and mission leader approached, she idly wondered what Alpha's actual name was, or if Alpha even knew.

"Beta," said Alpha, sitting down next to her, "I know what you're going through."

"You do?" Maya inwardly rejoiced; _I'm not crazy_, she thought. But Alpha remained firm.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "I know that our directives have ceased to be affirmed in this time, that we no longer have the connection to Vindicator that we had before we came here. But we cannot falter. Don't worry; once we've completed our mission and returned, things will be back to the way they were supposed to have been, and we will be back in our roles as we once were."

Maya sat, frozen, unsure of what to do. Slowly, she took her pistol and looked at it, as though examining a long lost artifact. Then she asked, "Alpha, what is your name?"

Alpha froze at the question. She shook her head, as if trying to clear it, but did not answer. But before she could consider the question further, they heard gunfire. Alpha began to put her helmet, but stopped. She grabbed one of their drones who was guarding the kids and said, "I have a job for you! Beta, get your ass out there!"

#

The drones who served as guards were being cut down by Admiral Shepard. They were no match for him, even when they swarmed him collectively. Shepard was a match for any ten, probably twenty of them, dancing between them, deftly avoiding their shots and blows, while simultaneously cutting them down with gunfire or killing them in hand to hand combat. The phantom drew her sword, and with her pistol in one hand and her sword in the other, charged in to take advantage of Shepard's being occupied. Suddenly, out of nowhere came an inner crescent kick, striking her in the left floating ribs, a snapping sound heard through the armor. The leg was connected to the Scarecrow, who stepped out from behind the machinery where he had been waiting. The kick was followed up by several shots fired into her chest at point blank range. The shots tore through her shields and one of them actually penetrated her armor, though it was missed her vital organs. The blow knocked her back, but she returned fire reflexively, the Scarecrow diving and rolling out of harm's way, only to come back up shooting. She avoided his shots only narrowly. He was not as outright tough as Shepard, but for a man without any armor more substantial that Kevlar or shields to be able to take on a phantom was unheard of; the Scarecrow exceeded all expectations.

"Beta," she shouted, "Get your ass out here! I need you!"

Shepard had killed all of their drones, and converged with the Scarecrow on the lone phantom.

"Be careful," warned the admiral. "There's another one around here somewhere."

The phantom tried to leap between them, slashing with her sword on the left and shooting with her pistol on the right, but the Scarecrow deftly avoided the cut, grasping her hand and twisting it back as Shepard struck her gun with his omni-blade, sheering the barrel off, then turned and elbowed her in the face with his left arm, finally turning and sweeping her feet out from under her. She landed flat on her back and Shepard activated his omni-blade again, plunging it into her chest.

"Do they invent those things in my lifetime?" asked the Scarecrow, hoping for an affirmative, but Shepard shook his head.

"Not for at least another century," he said.

"Too bad," Lee lamented. "That would really come in handy!"

"Oh, it does," laughed Shepard. "Believe me, it does."

As they confirmed that the phantom was dead, Billy and Francine arrived on the scene. Both of them were awestruck by the reverse engineered Conduit.

"Is that … the portal?" asked Billy.

"Yeah, that's it," said Shepard. "But there's still one hostile and three hostages, so keep your guard up."

#

Amanda and Miranda had made their way into the back room undetected and found Philip and Jamie. Amanda immediately began untying them as Miranda began sorting through the datapad that had been left on the desk.

"Free them," said Miranda. "This is what we need. Looks like the Scarecrow and Shepard took out one phantom. But where's the other?"

"She took Grandma," exclaimed Jamie as Amanda removed the gag.

"Who took her?" asked Amanda.

"The other woman," said Phillip. "She had an injury from a fight with someone called the Scarecrow!"

"Don't worry," said Miranda, "We'll get her back."

Suddenly, a loud gunshot sounded and a hole was punched clean through Miranda's chest from behind. Miranda fell to the ground, unable to move her left arm. Thankfully, no vitals were struck, but this would seriously impede her fighting ability.

"No you won't," said a blonde woman with very close cropped hair as she kicked Miranda's gun from her hand. She then pointed her gun at the wounded Miranda, but Miranda unleashed a biotic pulse that knocked the blonde backward, though she recovered very quickly. In fact, she reminded Miranda of Kai Leng.

"Try this on for size Lawson," boasted the woman, whose own omni-tool sprang to life and emitted a powerful pulse. Miranda's hands went to her head and she shrieked in pain, falling to the ground unconscious.

"Now for you, housewife," said the woman. As she brought her sword to bear, Amanda swung her purse, striking the woman's arm. As Philip and Jamie ran, Amanda stepped backward tripping over the chair, then kicking it at the advancing woman, striking her in the shins and causing her to lose her footing. Amanda swung her purse again, taking advantage of the woman's momentary loss of balance, this time striking the gun and swatting it aside. Amanda got up as quickly as she could, sliding the desk chair sharply at the woman as she tried to renew her pursuit. Amanda backed out of the doorway just as the woman brought her gun up and fired. Suddenly, the woman charged, but as she cleared the doorway, Amanda pulled the lever to release the fire escape style ladder that led to the upper levels. The ladder crashed down on the woman's head, crushing her skull. Amanda quickly went to Miranda, and found that she was out cold and bleeding very badly. She took the wristband from Miranda's arm and said,

"Omni-tool, activate!"

#

Then Shepard heard a familiar voice say, "Commander Shepard." They turned to see the other phantom leading Dotty out, a pistol to the back of her head. With her helmet off, Shepard recognized the phantom immediately.

"Maya Brooks," he said. "And it's Admiral Shepard now."

"Who the hell am I?" Maya's eyes were welling up with tears, and her sneering lip quivered slightly as she tried to hold back her tears. "I can't remember who I am, but I remember you," she continued. "You said you were pleading for my life. Now who am I?"

"Let her go," pled Lee. "Let her go and we'll sort this out."

"Drop your guns, both of you," she ordered.

"Just let her go," said Lee as he held up his left hand and gently placed his gun on the floor with his right. But Shepard still had his trained on Maya's head.

"No chance, Brooks," he said. "You hurt her, you die; you let her go, and maybe you come back with me alive."

"Who am I?" Maya reiterated the question.

"You're Maya Brooks," growled Shepard. "I spared you after you and your band of mercs attempted to hijack the Normandy. You're _supposed_ to be in Alliance lockdown, but clearly, you got out."

"What am I to you?" she pled. "Am I a person? Or am I just another foe for you to vanquish?"

"You're a person," said Shepard, "Cerberus probably sprung you and injected you with nanides in order to indoctrinate you. But after coming back here, the nanides have no signal to receive, so your old memories are coming back. Fight it, and maybe you can be that person again. But if you don't let that woman go, I will vanquish you, and kill you if necessary."

She slowly lowered the gun and released Dotty, who ran to Lee. As soon as Dotty was clear, a gunshot sounded and Brooks' right shoulder exploded, causing her right arm to fall limp and the gun to clatter to the floor.

"That's for cloning my man," growled Miranda, walking with support from Amanda, Philip, and Jamie behind them. Brooks went for her sword, but realized that she had lost it in her last fight with the Scarecrow.

"Looking for something?" asked Lee, brandishing Maya's sword. Maya's eyes went wide with alarm as Lee suddenly lunged like an Olympic foilist and ran Brooks through, then withdrew the blade and recovered back from his lunge. "And that was for involving my family!"

"Is the area secured?" asked Shepard.

"Yes," replied Miranda wearily. "Yes, it is. And I'm so glad that this is finally over."

"We're not home yet," said Shepard, taking Miranda in his arms as Amanda ran to her mother. "What happened?"

"The bitch shot me, and then hit me with a pulse weapon that took out my amp," she explained. "Thankfully, Amanda figured out how to use my omni-tool to apply medi-gel, after taking out that Reaper operative. I think she was a phantom; she must have dressed up one of their indoctrinated cohorts in her armor to throw us off."

"Impressive, Amanda," said Shepard admiringly.

"Indeed," said Miranda, kissing Shepard. She then held up the datapad. "I'm very fortunate that Amanda packs as many surprises as the Scarecrow; even if I weren't knocked out, I have no biotics until my amp is repaired. Thankfully, I looked at their schematics and instructions while Amanda freed Philip and Jamie. Easy enough to use; they had to make it so that a non-scientist could operate it."

"So we can leave now?" asked Shepard.

"Yes, though I do have a favor to ask of Lee and Billy," said Miranda. "About that Cordoba I liberated from the Soviets; it would make a nice souvenir. And I wouldn't have to walk."

"Go ahead and take it," said Billy with a laugh. "Give the Soviets something to chase their tails over."

Shepard and Miranda walked over to Lee and Amanda to say their goodbyes.

"So this is goodbye," Amanda said to Miranda. "You know, I really liked working with you. Nothing is as good as being with Lee, but you're a great partner."

"Agreed, partner," said Miranda, shaking her hand. "But as much as we liked working with you, we'll do everything we can to prevent this from ever happening again."

"Yeah, and that means that the four of you need to get as far away from here as fast as humanly possible," said Shepard.

"That's right," said Miranda. I'm setting it to overload as soon as we leave, so don't stick around."

"Man, I just can't believe it," exclaimed Lee, smiling broadly. "I mean, who gets to find out what their family turns out to be, let alone learn that they're galactic heroes? Nobody I know. Shepard, Miranda, we'll never forget you. And we owe you a debt of gratitude; you really saved our bacon!"

"You didn't need much help," Shepard said. "All we did was give you the heads up; you know, you remind me of my best friend back home; Garrus Vakarian. Hell, the two of you even sound alike!"

"But Lee's much better looking," said Miranda admiringly.

"Yeah, and his face matches," Shepard added. "And what about you two? I came back in time expecting to meet the family legend, Lee Stetson, and not only do you live up to the legend, but it seems that Mrs. Stetson is as deserving of being a family legend as you are!"

Amanda blushed slightly, and said, "Thanks, but I'm nothing special. I just did what I had to do to help Miranda and my boys, and mother."

"That's not true, Amanda," said Billy. "You've done some great things with the agency, and Scarecrow wouldn't be Scarecrow without you."

Realization spread across Dotty's face, but before she spoke, Philip said, "Mom's a spy? Cool!"

"Guess the cat's out of the bag," said Amanda with a shrug.

"That's not the only cat that's out of the bag," said Dotty. "What's this 'Mrs. Stetson' business?"

"Long story," said Lee, coming to Amanda's defense. "We'll explain it all to you over dinner tomorrow night. But in the meantime, Shepard and Miranda need to get back to their own time."

Shepard shook everyone's hands, but then hugged Amanda. "Keep each other safe," he said.

"I will, Admiral John Shepard of the Alliance Navy," said Amanda, hugging him back and then saluting. "I promise I will."

#

Miranda activated the Conduit and then they went out and brought the Cordoba into the warehouse. They loaded the two dead phantoms into the trunk, as well as the drone in phantom armor. Then they waved goodbye and began driving towards the Conduit, accelerating as they got up to the energy emanating from the portal. Before they struck the device, the portal opened up and the car disappeared from view. Lee and Amanda hurried everyone out, and once they were outside, the Conduit overloaded an the warehouse imploded into a miniature black hole, gone as if it had never been there.

Lee held Amanda as they watched it disappear. Billy, Francine, and Amanda's family stood flabbergasted by the site.

"Not even a souvenir," said Lee.

"Actually, there is one," said Billy. "I took a picture of the four of you together. I'll make sure you get a copy."

"So Amanda," said Dotty, "you mean you were really serious that time you told me that you were a spy?"

"As a heart attack, mother," said Miranda.

"Oh my God! This explains everything!"

#

The Conduit lit up and what looked like a skycar came flying out. It was soon apparent that it was not a skycar, as the wheeled vehicle bounced violently on its suspension as it hit the ground. The car came to a halt and Shepard got out, opening the door for Miranda.

Vega, Garrus, Ashley, Liara, Tali, Grunt, and Zack and Jane ran to them.

"Hey Loco! You made it!" James still called Shepard Loco after all these years. Going back in time to face Reaper forces in the past would only encourage his former XO to maintain the habit.

"Did it work?" Shepard was desperate to know that their efforts were not in vain.

"You did it again, hero man," said Ashley. "We're still here and the Reapers are rotting in Hell where they belong."

Zack and Jane ran and hugged Miranda and John respectively. Though they were now N-7 marines, they could not help but show affection for their parents, and relief at their safe return.

"See, I didn't need that heavy armor after all," said John to his daughter.

"But I did," said Miranda. "My head still hurts from that pulse and my arm won't heal for days."

"I'm sure Armax can put together something nice for the two of you," said Garrus with a sly grin.

"Actually, I was thinking of seeing if they could retool this phantom armor," Miranda replied. "Great stuff for biotics, and it'll come in handy if I ever have to wade into battle with John again."

"So Shepard," said Tali, "Now that your children have joined the family business, do you intend to incorporate?"

"Family business?" John and Miranda asked in unison.

"You know; killing Reapers," explained Garrus.

"That's one business that I hope is out of business due to lack of demand," exclaimed Liara.

"Yeah, same here," said Shepard. "Miranda and I have some big things planned, but Reapers are not on the agenda."

"Going into the retro skycar business, Skipper?" asked Ashley, wrapping the fender of the old Chrysler.

"Nah," Shepard laughed. "I just wanted that to drive around my house."

"Shepard," said Grunt, "I think your kids inherited your instincts, and Jane's got her mother's biotics. You did well!"

"Thanks, Grunt," said Shepard. "Glad to know. Now I can leave the galaxy in their capable hands."

The group laughed, freely and happily, unrestrained by the threat of Reapers or the now resolved Yahg situation. It was good to be home.


	9. Chapter 8: Aftermath

**Chapter 8**

**Aftermath**

With the Shepards having returned home and the site of the Cerberus plot literally wiped clean, the Stetsons had a lot to sort through. The most pressing of which was the revelation of Amanda's position as a spy and her secret marriage to Lee. Dotty and the boys had figured out that the two were dating, but a secret wedding was a bitter pill for Dotty to swallow. She had wanted so much to be involved in Amanda's courtship, the planning, and finally, the wedding itself. To not even have been able to be there as a guest was a blow.

"Do you think so little of me?" Dotty shook her head, still unable to understand it all. "Do you thinks so little of this Lee that you were afraid to clue me in more than you did?"

"Mother!" Amanda was willing to bite her tongue, but to imply that about her feelings for Lee she would not tolerate. "It was nothing like that, and you know it!"

"Do I?" Dotty asked accusingly.

"Yes, you do," said Lee. "Better than anyone in this room, you know."

"And just how would I know that?" Dotty was not about to take any flak from Lee Stetson, AKA Scarecrow, but she wanted to see where he was going with this and just how far he would go.

"Because you experienced the very reason we kept it a secret, Dotty," he explained. "You, and your grandchildren, were targeted in order to get to us. Now, you saw what happened there; you met the Shepards. Time travel, Dotty; you saw it. The only reason that Cerberus knew to go after you is because they already have knowledge of what is their past. Nobody, not even Billy, knew, though he and Francine know now.

"Dotty," Lee continued, shifting closer to Dotty so as to bring her into his confidence, "those people would have killed you and your grandchildren just to get to us. Imagine, now, if our marriage were public. It wouldn't end with a time traveling terrorist group; it would be every two bit foreign agent and enemy I've made over the years. And that Amanda has made. Dotty," Lee put his hand on her shoulder, "we did this to keep you safe. Amanda loves you dearly, Dotty. You and those boys mean the world to her. And she'll do anything to protect you."

Dotty sat silently for a few moments, weighing the facts. She was still bitter about being kept out of the loop, but Lee's logic was unassailable, and as he had correctly pointed out, she knew this first hand. Before she could contemplate further, Lee spoke again.

"Dotty, Amanda, I think I have a solution," he said with a smile. "We've done the legal, so we're in the clear there. But who says we can't have a private ceremony?"

"What are you suggesting, Lee?" asked Amanda, taking his hand and holding it tightly.

"A private ceremony," he said. "You know; get a priest, go to some exotic locale, and do it right."

"And make it seem like cover for an assignment?" asked Amanda, her face lighting up.

"You've got it, Amanda," he confirmed. "We keep it quiet; you, Dotty and the boys take a vacation, and while you're there, you attend a wedding; yours."

"Now, Amanda," said Dotty, mollified, "You know, any man who drives a car like that and who lives in a luxury condo with a doorman in Georgetown is a fine catch, and who am I to turn down an exotic vacation?"

"Then it's settled," exclaimed Lee.

Amanda held him tightly and kissed him. She was so lucky to have a man like Lee in her life. What made it even better is that she knew he felt the same about her. They were a true team, both in the field and away. _Yes_, she thought with a smile, _we are going to have the most fantastic and adventurous life together!_

#

It was two weeks after the defeat of Vindicator and the Reaper time travel plot. The whole thing was even more unbelievable than Shepard's normal adventures, which were already incredibly unbelievable. But his mother and retired Admiral Hackett sat riveted by the story as he and Miranda wove it together. Lee Stetson had been a family legend, but Amanda was also part of that legend, and after John and Miranda had met her, there was now more to her legend than had previously been thought.

"… and you should have seen their faces when we landed on Ilos in a 1978 Chrysler Cordoba," exclaimed Miranda. "It was absolutely priceless!"

"You really love that car," remarked John.

"I do," she agreed. "Rich Corinthian leather, John; what's not to like?"

"Good, because it's going to be a fixture in a new part of the condo," he laughed.

"Oh?" Miranda's interest was piqued. "What do you have in mind?"

"Something more mundane than time travel, that's for sure!"

"I really wish I could have been there, John," remarked his mother as they enjoyed their drinks. "But I'm really glad to hear that the legend was no exaggeration! Your grandfather worshiped the legend of Lee Stetson. He wanted to be an agent like him, but the fleet called more loudly than the Secret Service."

"Hey, I got to do both," boasted John.

"You're a Spectre," Miranda reminded him. "And you're Shepard; you get to do whatever you damn well please."

"I know," he laughed. "Aint it great?"

"It's better than great," said Miranda, snuggling up to him and kissing him. "In fact, it's wonderful; one of the many benefits of being your wife."

"The galaxy owes you that, John," said the grizzled admiral. "We wouldn't be having this conversation is it wasn't for your efforts in uniting the galaxy. Or your efforts to bring galactic society more inclusive. Never underestimate what you've accomplished. You deserve all the latitude you have as the first Human Spectre, a retired councilor, and the Admiral of the Navy." He turned to Miranda and said, "And you were an instrumental part of that success, Miranda. You brought him back from the brink of death, and you provided key intel that enabled us to take Cerberus out of the game for good. You deserve far more recognition than you were given."

"Thank you, Admiral," she said. "That means a lot; more than you know. But John, just what do you have planned for my car?"

"An exit to the tramway, so that it can actually get driven," he said. "It would be a shame for such a nice car to rot away in storage." Shepard knew well the value of keeping machinery in service. He hated the idea that the Normandy would ever be decommissioned. "And the room where it will stay is getting a giant movie screen; we'll have our own drive-in!"

"Oh, how romantic," Miranda cooed.

"Mind if Steven and I take advantage of the Shepard theatre?" his mother asked, putting her arm around Admiral Hackett.

"Sure," said John, "but when are the two of you planning to tie the knot?"

"Now that we're both retired," said Steven, "we can start moving in that direction with decisive action."

"You talk like an admiral, Steven," Hannah remarked. "I like it."

"Yes, and then when people say 'Admiral Shepard,' there won't be any confusion," John remarked. "On the other hand, we'll have two Admiral Hacketts!"

#

Admiral Ashley Williams-Vega sat in her office, relieved that the last Reaper had been defeated, sipping a cup of coffee and taking a look out the window of the newly competed Arcturus Station. It was not an exact duplicate of the old station, but it's design was along the same lines. Now that the new Citadel had been moved to the Serpent Nebula, Ranger Command had been moved to the new station, as the Rangers was a System Alliance program. She had to laugh; a truly multi-species force in Alliance space, with the non-human members not only staying after the option to go home was presented, but with applicants from other races' home worlds who actually wanted to move _to_ Alliance space to be a part of the Rangers. Fifteen years ago, she would have been staunchly opposed to such a thing, but the Reaper War and Commander Shepard changed all that.

She read the reports from the various Ranger commanders who had served in the operation, amazed how quickly the galaxy had come together to meet the threat. _Perhaps all that work we did during the war had a lasting effect after all_, she thought. Her chime alerted her to visitors, interrupting the hot cup she had been savoring.

"Come in," she said, opening the door remotely.

Four visitors entered her office, and what unexpected visitors they were; the entire Citadel Council stood in her office.

"Admiral Williams-Vega," said Dominic Osoba. "We come with an historic request of you."

Admiral Williams-Vega. She loved hearing the sound of it. Not because of the prestige; Ashley had never been particularly motivated by titles and accolades, and she rather disliked hyphenating her name. But to hear the words, "Admiral Williams," even followed by hyphen Vega, was vindication for her grandfather, her father, and the whole Williams family.

"Good morning, Councilors," she said, coming out from behind the desk to shake their hands. "Please, be seated." She motioned to the sectional sofa that adorned the west corner of her office, and after hugging Urdnot Bakara, pulled her own chair around so that she could sit with them. "Coffee?" she asked them.

"Sorry, but I can't drink your coffee," said Quentius.

"I was planning to brew up some dextro-based coffee if you're interested, Councilor," she said.

"Then by all means, yes," he said excitedly.

The rest of the councilors readily accepted her offer, and Ashley made small talk with them while she prepared a cup for the Turian Councilor Quentius, who graciously accepted it. Soon, the group was ready to discuss their business.

"Admiral Williams-Vega," began Irissa, "we have made observations that the Alliance Rangers includes members of all of the races who were marooned in the Sol System in the aftermath of the Reaper War."

"Yes," she replied, "and please, you can call me Ashley. We wanted to bring everyone together, and part of that was to have a peacekeeping force that was not composed entirely of humans. Being that we were in the Sol System, it was impossible to not have roughly half of the force comprised of Humans, but when Shepard came to me with the idea, he envisioned a multi-species force that served the needs of the community, rather than just this, that, or the other race. To that end, we included everyone; the traditional Council races, including the Quarians, Hannar, and Volus, as well as those without embassies on the old Citadel; the Batarians, the Krogan, and even the Rachni."

"And by all accounts," noted Linron, "the Ranger Corps has performed admirably."

"And most impressively," added Quentius.

"Which is what brings us to your office today," said Dominic.

"You've got my attention," said Ashley. "What did you have in mind?"

"The Spectres will always be needed," began Quentius, "and you are still among their ranks, you know? But Spectres are not suited to policing a galaxy, and C-Secs authority only extends to the Citadel itself."

"As you know," said Irissa, "Council efforts to deal with crises in the past have often had political obstacles due to the nature of one or two member races being the ones to send in forces."

"As you also know," added Linron, "there is no established Council peacekeeping or police force aside from C-Sec."

"Due to past grievances," said Bakara, "some races were hesitant to welcome, and even openly hostile towards, Council forces and representatives. With a multispecies force, it would no longer be the Asari, the Humans, or the Turians arriving on one's doorstep, but a force that would be inclusive of that world's species as well."

"I think it's a good idea," said Ashley, both flattered and pleasantly surprised that the Council had actually approached her proactively. "But given that the Rangers is an Alliance program, how would you propose to do this without raising the ire of Alliance politicians? I mean, it's kind of like saying we want to make the Asari Commandos or Arlahk Company a multi-species unit that answers to the Council instead of the Asari or Krogan governments."

"I posed that same question during the discussion," Dominic informed her. "And the solution we came up with is that each home world would have a multi-species Ranger Corps modeled on the Systems Alliance Ranger Corps, that is legally under the jurisdiction of that race's government, but who's services are made available to the Council, both for missions in their own jurisdiction, and for augmenting the Rangers in other home worlds' jurisdictions."

"So let me get this straight," said Ashley. "The Council is proposing to have a multi species Ranger Corps in Turian Space, one in Asari Space, one in Krogan Space, one in Salarian Space, and so on?"

"That is exactly what we're proposing," said Linron, surprisingly cheerfully. "Of course that would necessitate members of races outside of that race's space to relocate, but the intent is that the Ranger Corps formulation would help to keep each race accountable, without having a corps made up entirely of their own member race."

"So where do I come in?" she asked.

"Well, as the head of the Systems Alliance Ranger Corps," said Quentius, pausing to take a very satisfying draught of the coffee, "we were hoping that you would act as an advisor and facilitator. You know how to run a multi-species corps in a fair and even handed way. We really needed that due to lingering prejudices that still exist. Also, we would like either you or Admiral Shepard to accept the role of Ranger Command on a galactic level. Shepard is very symbolic, and fiercely popular across racial lines, but since you have been doing this for the past decade, and have a sterling reputation across racial lines as well, you're actually our first choice."

Now that _was_ a surprise! To be sought out before Shepard was something she would never have expected. She smiled broadly in spite of herself, raising her cup to her lips to hide the reaction.

"I'm honored," she said, "and quite frankly, humbled. I will speak to Shepard, as he is my commanding officer. I accept, pending Alliance Navy approval; we'll have to find someone to take on my role, but I think I know just the person. And the Krogan in our ranks will love him."

#

Shepard had received an unexpected request from Ashley Williams-Vega to discuss a proposal regarding the Ranger Corps. The topic was ambiguous otherwise. But he transmitted his acceptance and set up a meeting on Arcturus. As Admiral of the Alliance Navy, he had a feeling he'd be moving here fairly soon, which meant that Miranda would be as well. Arcturus did have primary and secondary education available for Alliance government families living on the station, and they had discussed the prospect of her teaching school there. He decided to kill two birds with one stone. As luck would have it, there was an opening at the Arcturus Junior Academy, the station's middle school, for a seventh grade science teacher. Miranda had agreed to make the trip with him and interview for the position while Shepard met with his Reaper War XO.

As luck would have it, the Agincourt was the ship to take them. They strode hand in hand into the docking tube and onto the old cruiser, now under the command another of Shepard's old XOs, Commodore Lee Riley. She had been a captain during the Reaper War, but with her promotion to the Agincourt, she had been given the rank of Commodore. And Commodore Riley stood to greet them when the airlock opened to admit them.

"Admiral on deck!" she barked, saluting the highest ranking officer in the Alliance military, second only to the Alliance Prime Minister. Shepard saluted her back.

"At ease," he said to the crew, returning their salutes. Turning back to Lee, he continued, "Good morning, Commodore. How are you enjoying your new command?"

"Love it, Sir," she said, "but I miss the Normandy."

"We do to," said Miranda. "Something about that ship was special. There's no replacing her."

"Very true, Mrs. Shepard," said Lee, shaking her hand. "Welcome aboard, and good to see you again."

"I'm not military, so come here," Miranda said, hugging the commodore.

Shepard laughed. Miranda was still Miranda, but she was much more outwardly warm than she had been when they had met. The walls that she had put up because of her father had long ago come down; those issues had been well and truly dealt with. Free of those issues, Miranda had blossomed and grown in very unexpected ways. Once outwardly cold and aloof, her years of teaching school age children had really brought out her nurturing side, and she was now perceived as warm and welcoming. Of course, her combative edge was still there, and her biotics were as impressive as ever. Lee Riley returned Miranda's hug without reservation.

"Scuttlebutt has it that you're relocating to Arcturus," said Lee as she walked them to their quarters. "Any truth to that?"

"As Admiral of the Navy, scuttlebutt is probably correct," confirmed Shepard. "I'll keep my condo there, but can't do my job from the Citadel, that's for sure. Though they're really going to miss Miranda at school."

"And I'll miss them," said Miranda. "To tell you the truth, I had almost hoped you'd turn it down, but as we discussed, I think it was the right move."

"The soldiers all thought it was too," agreed Lee. "Especially the enlisted men and women, who really identify with Shepard; he's one of the few high ranking officers who did not come out of the academy, but who started off like they did. They think, and I agree, that you'll be much more aware of the needs of the average soldier than any other candidate would have been."

"I'll do my best," said Shepard. "I hope we can just keep them out of war. I don't wish that hell on anyone."

It was a surprising statement coming from Shepard. He had seen a lot of action and was very proud of his service, particularly his service during the Reaper War, and his vast fortune came directly from his fame as a war hero. Though as Lee and Miranda thought about it, Shepard had never been gung ho to send other people into battle. In fact, Miranda recalled how careful he was with his team during the Collector mission.

"A lot of military mums and dads will be glad to hear you say that," remarked Miranda. "Including me."

They arrived at their cabin, something that there was more of on a cruiser than there was on a Frigate. Standing at the door at full attention was a yeoman. Her blonde hair was pulled tightly into a bun and her round face wore an expression of near panic when she saw the Admiral of the Navy. Her name tag read, 'Anne Shelby.'

"Yeoman Shelby reporting for duty, Sir," she exclaimed loudly.

"Yeoman," said Riley, "this is Admiral Shepard and his wife, Miranda. They're heroes, but they're also close personal friends. Extend them every courtesy."

"Yes maam!"

Shepard smiled returned the nervous yeoman's salute. She brought her hand down, standing at rigid attention. He extended his hand and she timidly shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, Anne," he said warmly, causing her to relax a little.

"It's an honor, Sir," she said reverently, still standing at rigid attention.

"This is your cabin," said Lee, "If you need anything, Yeoman Shelby has been assigned to you for the duration of the voyage."

"Thanks," said Shepard. Then he turned to Shelby. "At ease, Yeoman; you're doing fine."

The yeoman relaxed a little, standing at ease. Shepard turned and hugged Lee. "Good to see you again, Lee. You've got a fine ship here."

"Thank you, Sir," she said. "And now, I suppose I should get back to it."

"That you should," he laughed. "That you should."

"John, Miranda, please join me for dinner in the officers mess this evening," said Riley. "We'd love to have you."

"We'll do that," he said. "Tomorrow night, though, we eat with the enlisted men and women. I had a little something brought aboard for them."

"Oh, they'll love that, Sir!" With that, she saluted and returned to her duties.

Yeoman Shelby opened the door for them, and stood at rigid attention. Shepard touched her shoulder, causing her to stiffen up even more.

"Relax, Yeoman," he said. "Regardless of rank, or the things I've done since the war, I'm just a soldier, like you."

"Sir," she said nervously. "I … I was on Benning during the war; you rescued my family."

"John, she must have been just a little girl," remarked Miranda.

"I was only ten, maam," she confirmed. "Admiral Shepard, Executor Vakarian, and Captain Vega came to our rescue when Cerberus was attacking. I was being kidnapped when they arrived."

"Yeah," said Shepard. "I remember. How are you folks doing?"

"My dad died from his injuries, Sir," she explained. "Thankfully, our transport was turned away at the Citadel; otherwise, we'd be dead."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Anne," he said.

"Thank you, Sir," she said. "But we never forgot your coming for us, Sir. It's why I joined the Alliance Navy. Thank you, Sir, for all you've done."

"You're welcome, soldier," he said, giving her a gentle slap on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Navy."

"Thank you, Sir," she said, now smiling as she opened the door for them.

The cabin was Spartan, as one would expect on a warship, but just roomy enough for two. Shepard and Miranda stowed their gear like a soldier would. Both of them tended to pack lightly; habits they had never set aside from life in the field. The cabin had a double bed, and must have been intended for married brass traveling with a spouse. Shepard was more than happy to fulfill the room's purpose. Miranda sat down on the bed and stretched out.

"Ah, John, back on a warship; we just can't seem to stay off of them, no matter how hard we try."

"I know," he laughed. "But when you're with me, even the smallest cutter is a luxury liner."

"Well in that case, let's enjoy our luxuries for the duration of the voyage, shall we?"

He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. "We shall," he said.


	10. Chapter 9: Undercover Wedding

**Chapter 9**

**Undercover Wedding**

"You may now kiss the bride," said the priest.

Lee pulled Amanda close and kissed her passionately. This time, she wore the long white dress, with him wearing a tux. They had arranged the whole thing as part of an IFF project for cover; Bridal Paradise: Weddings in Hawaii. But as promised, Dotty got to see her daughter remarry. Aside from Dotty, Philip, and Jamie, Amanda's guest list was nonexistent. Lee's was equally tiny, consisting of Billy, Francine, and Emily Farnsworth, though she was posing as the groom's mother.

After the wedding, they had a private room at the Malolo Lounge in Waikoloa, where they had a wedding cake and their "first" dance as husband and wife. While they had already been married for the better part of a year, Lee and Amanda were happy to relive the experience. Amanda was particularly relieved to not have to lie about her life to her mother. Now, she and Lee could go on and make a life together, though they still had to be careful; they were still agents and still had the same concerns for one another's safety, not to mention Dotty and her sons' safety.

But making a life together was going to be a challenge. Could they live together without endangering her family? Or would their relationship outside of work be forever a feigned friendship? _No_, thought Amanda, _that will never do_. Now that they were married, now that her family knew, there had to be a way for them to be together. Lee was very resourceful, and she was sure that he would think of something.

"Amanda," said Lee, interrupting her thoughts. "Do you remember when we were on the Island of San Angelos and had to get married as part of our cover?"

"Don't remind me," she said. "It was all faked so that we wouldn't really be married."

"I know, but there's something from that mission that I want you to have," he said, producing a small box.

She took the box hesitantly, suspecting that she knew what was inside of it. She pulled back the lid to reveal a diamond engagement ring; the very ring Lee had placed on her finger during the course of that very successful mission.

"I managed to convince Billy to let me take the ring," he said. "I rationalized that we might need it quickly for another mission of this kind; it wasn't the first mission where we'd posed as husband and wife, you know. But also, every girl should have her engagement ring. And I think that kiss was when I really knew for sure that I had romantic feelings for you."

She remembered that kiss; when the preacher had said, "you may now kiss the bride," they had had their first real kiss. Not faked, but natural and romantic.

"I remember," she said, kissing him. "But why give this to me now?"

"Because I couldn't get it until now," he said. "But with us being married, I think he was more sympathetic to the thought."

Of all the keepsakes she had, she never thought that she would ever have this one. She had long ago written it off as company property, something to be used and reused for missions that required it to maintain cover. The fact that it was from a mission where they had actually gone through a wedding ceremony together made it very special to her.

"Oh, Lee, this is … this is wonderful," she said. "Thank you."

"No, Amanda," he said, "Thank you. You know, I was so rough on you as a partner for so long. It wasn't until then that I realized that the Scarecrow was more than just my codename; it was us. But it wasn't until after we were married that I really let up. You deserved better than that."

"Oh, Lee; that's all in the past. We've worked through all that and married. Our life together … as crazy as it is … is a wonderful life. And I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I feel the same way," he said. "But some things need to be said. That last mission with John and Miranda; our whole lives, our family's lives, and our descendants' lives hung in the balance. We never know how much time we really have, so if something needs to be said, we should say it. And that needed to be said."

"Well, Lee, after meeting them, we know we have a longer time; we have kids. That hasn't happened yet."

"No, but it will. And then there will be more things, wonderful things, to be said. And that time will be for those things."

"Wonderful things …" Amanda contemplated the wonderful things to come. A child with Lee. Or children, perhaps. Brothers and sisters for Philip and Jamie, and more grandkids for mother. And their line would result in a man who would save the galaxy. It was mind blowing. She smiled at the thought that she and Lee would play a role in such cosmic events. But that was all in the future. Right now, in this time and on this Earth, she had Lee.

"Wonderful things," agreed Lee. "Like this; I have an idea."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, and it's a good one," he boasted. "Okay; so because we're spies and you have a family, living together might be tricky. But my thought is that people were already coming after you because they either thought you were me, or because you got caught up in things without even being involved in an assignment. I dated girls, sometimes for fairly long stretches, who came to, and stayed at my apartment, and somehow, with all the potential for them to be seen, nobody ever went after them. I say we go for it; buy a house together!"

"You know, Lee, I hadn't really thought of it that way." She felt as though a huge weight had just been lifted. "In all the time we've been together as partners, I had never thought of that. But you're right. We don't have to hide who we are."

"So after we get back," Lee said, "let's start looking."

"But I have a house," Amanda reminded him. "And it's Mother, Philip and Jamies's home."

"Okay, if you want, we could live there together." He really did not want to live in the house with Dotty, but he was not going to bring that up now. And if she really wanted him to, he could do it. For her, he could do anything.

"Well, a place of our own might be kind of nice," offered Amanda. "Or we could so both."

"Both?"

"Yes, both," she said. "You know; keep my place, and we could by a place that's just for us."

"I'd have to sell my condo," said Lee, "But that's a great idea!"

Amanda leaned in and kissed him. It seemed that in the year they had been married, they had become much more in sync with each other's thought processes, often completing each other's sentences, and each contributing parts of the plan as if they were sharing a brain. It was kind of scary, but very exciting. She had never had this kind of connection with Joe. Perhaps that was why when he made plans to move Estocia, they were unable to plan a future together that would allow for such a move. _This is the difference between mere lovers and soul mates_, she thought, noting that John and Miranda seemed to have that same connection as she and Lee. The thought of John and Miranda having a happy and fulfilling marriage brought a smile to her face. She hoped that the same was true for all of their descendants prior to the Shepards.

#

"I have it on good authority that the Scarecrow is in Hawaii," declared Vardosk. "Do you want a shot at her?"

"She ruined my reputation and got me deported," replied Peggy Marlowe. "I'd love a shot at her. Right in the head."

"Good," replied Vardosk. "I have a flight to Hawaii for you; you leave tonight. She's staying in Waikoloa. The address is in here."

He handed her a manila envelope. She opened it and saw pictures of Amanda King with a man. He looked familiar, but she could not place him.

"Do you know who that man is?"

"No," she said. "Should I?"

"Yes, you should. He was the ringer in that class. He is the Scarecrow."

"No, it was Amanda!"

Vardosk shook his head. "No, it was not. I encountered him myself. She is his partner, and apparently in more than just professional matters. Take them both out and your reputation will be restored."

#

With Dotty and the boys venturing up Mauna Kea, Lee and Amanda lounged on the beach together as newlyweds to the rest of the world. Lee had that look about him that told her his mind was working through something yet to be verbalized.

"Penny for your thoughts, Lee," she said softly.

"Torn," he said. "You know how much I love the field, Amanda."

"Oh, I know," she agreed.

"And you know how much I love you."

"Oh, very much," she said. "Good thing that with me, you get to have both."

"Yeah, well last night, Billy dropped a bomb on me."

"Good or bad?"

"Good, but it would mean giving up field work," he said.

"What was the bomb?"

"The bomb was that he's retiring," said Lee. "The agency wants me in his chair. The job's mine … _if_ I want it. It would pull me from the field, give me more time with you, and allow us the opportunity to build our life with both more stability and higher pay."

"Lee, we can go on as we are," she offered. "You know, work was what tore Joe and I apart."

"Well it won't tear us apart," he declared. "I don't have to answer immediately, and neither do you, but when we get home, I want your feelings, your real feelings. I can go either way on this; the benefits are equal. So your input is what I need."

She was about to respond when he grabbed her and threw her to the ground, landing on top of her hard. Sand sprayed them as bullets struck the ground where they had been. Lee recovered quickly, pulling Amanda to her feet and running, keeping himself between the shooter and Amanda. More shots sounded as they ran. Amanda looked behind her to see three beachgoers fall, struck by bullets meant for her.

They ran up the drive that led up to their car, the hard pavement hot and rough on her bare feet. Lee did not seem to notice. Thankfully, he had parked the Corvette with the targa roof removed, so he was able to pick her up and deposit her right in the passenger seat. He then grabbed his gun and got down behind the hood.

"Are you alright, Amanda?" he called.

"I'm fine, Lee," she cried, ducking down as low as she could. "Can you see them?"

Lee looked around and could not. Then from up on the hill, he caught a reflection and ducked just in time to avoid being hit. "Sniper on the hill," he said. "Can't get a clean shot; not with a pistol. Amanda, push my door open."

Amanda dutifully swung the driver's door open, providing Lee with some additional cover. Lee skillfully rolled under the door and pulled himself into the driver's seat, narrowly avoiding being shot, though his door now had a nice sized hole through it from the inside out. With the windows down, he found that the window inside of the door also had been pierced as he raised the side glass.

"What are you doing?" asked Amanda.

"I know where the son of a bitch is," said Lee. "We're facing this head on. If you've got any ideas, now's the time."

Amanda shook her head, deferring to his experience in shootouts. "None; just take him out fast! I don't want to die on my third time marrying you!"

"You won't," he laughed. "Three's a charm, remember?"

With that, he spun the Vette around and made his way up the switchbacks towards the top of the hill. Shots were continuing to be fired at him, one actually striking the rear hatch, punching a hole through its glass structure. Another shot pierced the hood, though it did not seem to damage anything significant. Seeing a volcanic rock formation ahead, he sped up, parking the car behind its ample cover.

"Alright, Amanda," said Lee, "there's a pistol in the glove box, and …"

"No," she said. "No guns."

"Right," he said, reaching in and taking the gun for himself. "Stay here, then. I'm gonna get up there and flush him out. Hopefully, I can get the drop on him." He kissed her passionately. "I love you, Amanda." He then took off, climbing the hill.

If there was anything Amanda was not doing, it was staying in the car. Lee had practically asked her to participate by telling her to do so. She had to laugh that he had not yet figured that out. She put on sandals, grabbed a beach towel and a tire iron, and started up the hill on her own. _No way I'm losing Lee_, she thought, emboldened by her recent success against the phantom and saving of super-agent Miranda.

#

Peggy Marlow cursed herself for taking this assignment. The lead had come to them so suddenly that they were not able to adequately plan for it. In fact, they did not really plan much at all. It was essentially a find them and shoot them scenario. Well, she had found them and shot, but he had managed to both save Amanda and avoid the shot himself. She saw the car disappear behind the rock formation, but it never exited the other side, which meant that they were probably trying to climb up the hill to get to her. Peggy was ensconced in a foxhole formed in the many volcanic rock formations on Hawaii. She had good cover to protect her from any shots out of Lee's pistol. But the fact that neither of her intended targets had reappeared bothered her. She was basically on her own for this. Vardosk remained safely at home in Russia, while her other partner, Gregorian, was on missions elsewhere. This was literally do or die for her. She peered out over the rock, looking down the hill through her scope. Her diligence was rewarded; she caught movement, and briefly, Lee Stetson. She was about to shoot, but he moved out behind cover. He was being very careful not to be out in the open, but the closer he got, the less and less cover he would be able to take advantage of. And then he would die.

#

Lee saw the glint of steel. The shooter was dug in at the top in what appeared to be a volcanic rock formation with a pit. No shot was forthcoming, but he would be shocked if the shooter had not noticed him by now; he simply had not provided any good opportunities. But his options for cover were thinning out as he neared the top of the hill. He stumbled on a loose rock, which gave him an idea. He took the black piece of rock and shouted, "Grenade!" He then lobbed it high and far, landing it right in the pit. He heard a loud but feminine, "Ow," followed by loud cursing in … Russian. A woman, he thought, as he threw another rock and then rushed to the next outcropping, laughing to himself as he went.

#

Amanda made her way up the opposite side and found a cave. She wondered if the cave might lead her to a point where the shooter was. She decided to try it. She went in and found that it did wind around and lead upward. As she carefully trod the volcanic rock, she heard from above a woman loudly scream, "Ow!" She then cursed in Russian. Amanda could not speak Russian, but she had heard enough of it to know identify it. _On the right track_, she thought.

The passage finally brought her out on the side of the hill near the summit. She could hear the shooter fidgeting with her gun and cursing as she tried to get a bead on Lee. Then she heard, "Ow!" again, as the gun fired, followed by, "Aarrghhh!" Amanda hoped that Lee was alright as she made her way up to the shooter's perch. She peered up and saw … Peggy Marlow, the Russian agent who had infiltrated Amanda's training class. Suddenly, a rock flew past her, causing her shot to go wild, and then Amanda heard glass break as another rock hit the scope of Peggy's rifle. Then she realized that Lee was throwing rocks at Peggy. _He hasn't even drawn his gun and he's more than a match for her_, Amanda thought. _But why let him have all the fun?_

Amanda reached down and took hold of a loose rock. Right as Peggy was about to fire, Amanda threw the rock at her, striking her in the right shoulder causing her to jerk and fire wildly. Peggy whirled on Amanda and shouted, "You!" Amanda tried to climb back down quickly, desperately trying to get some cover from Peggy's gun. Before Peggy could bring the gun to bear on Amanda, a rock struck the back of her head, causing her to stumble and turn around. That was when Lee leapt over the embankment and took Peggy to the ground, pinning the riffle to the ground with his knee. Pulling his pistol, he said, "Hand where I can see them, comrade."

As Lee restrained Peggy and took her guns, he looked at Amanda and said, "Great work … Scarecrow."

"I knew it," said Peggy. Vardosk thought you were the Scarecrow, but I knew it was the King woman!"

"Wrong," said Lee. "We're both the Scarecrow. And you won't be getting deported this time."

Peggy began cursing loudly, prompting Lee to take a handful of her hair, pull forward, and then sharply slam the back of her head into the rocks, rendering her unconscious.

"Boring conversation anyway," he remarked. "So, have you thought more about life behind a desk?"

"We're Scarecrow, Lee," said Amanda, "and Scarecrow does not sit behind a desk."

"Agreed." He kissed her, and then they began the task of hauling Peggy Marlow and all of her gear down the hill. "Now let's get Billy and Francine to bring someone in to take this trash to the proverbial dump."


	11. Chapter 10: Arcturus Station

**Chapter 10**

**Arcturus Station**

As the Agincourt cruised to the Serpent Nebula relay, Shepard and Miranda dined with the Agincourt's officers. The atmosphere was somewhat subdued; most of them were young, but even the older ones were awed in Shepard's presence. Try as he might, he had a hard time getting anything but deferential small talk from anyone but Miranda and Lee. Finally, he looked at one of the older officers and asked,

"Say, how long have you served aboard the Agincourt?"

"About fifteen years, Sir," replied the man.

"What's your name?"

"Lieutenant Jacobs, Sir."

"Do you remember Navigator Pressley?"

"Yeah, I do," replied Jacobs. "Good fellow. You know him?"

"Yeah," said Shepard. "He was the navigator on the Normandy SR-1 under Captain Anderson, and then under me. He was aboard when the Normandy SR-1 was destroyed. He died in the initial blast." Shepard raised his glass. "To Pressley! And all the rest who lost their lives in the fight against the Reapers."

"Here, here!"

The officers all raised their glasses and drank. Though somewhat somber, it did break some of the ice. Some of the officers started telling stories about friends they had lost during the course of the war, and Shepard, Miranda, and Riley shared some stories of their own. As they exchanged stories, they all found that Shepard was really not so aloof or unapproachable. In fact, one officer who had started out as an enlisted man remarked that Shepard reminded him of his sergeant who had died during the war. Finally, one of the officers asked,

"Captain Riley, where did you get this ale? It's fantastic!"

"Admiral Shepard brought it aboard for the crew," she said, raising her glass and nodding to Shepard. "Makes me think we should host him more frequently."

The officers raised their glasses and enthusiastically voiced their approval. As mealtime came to a close, Shepard stood and everyone got quiet.

"To all of you," he said, raising his glass. "Thank you for your service."

The officers raised their glasses one last time, saying, "Here, here!"

"Thank you," said Riley to Shepard as he turned to leave. "Everyone was nervous when they heard you were aboard. I appreciate you taking the edge off and making this a positive experience. I know a few admirals who would not have been so gracious."

"Yeah, I ran up against a few of them myself," laughed Shepard. "Keep up the good work, Lee. You've got a fine ship and a fine crew."

#

"They offered you that? Wow! That's awesome," exclaimed James, his burly image standing before her in holographic form. "So, you gonna do it?"

"I think so," said Ashley. "Shepard's on his way, and I still have to break it to him and see what he wants to do, though I think his reaction will be along the same lines as yours. But that brings up another issue; one I need to discuss with you before he gets here."

"Uh oh," he said. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No, not at all," she laughed. "But it's a very serious question."

"Lay it on me, mi amor!"

"Well," said Ashley, "if I take this post, my own as head of the Systems Alliance Rangers will be vacated. I know we're married, James, but honestly you're the most qualified person for the job. I think you'd be awesome, but it would mean giving up the Normandy."

"Ouch! Talk about pain and pleasure!"

"Yes, but we'd get to see more of each other," she offered. "Since we'd have fixed locations, I could be with you a few days a week. In fact, the new post probably would enable me to work remotely more than my current one does. I'm going to be honest James; I miss you. I miss being with you. If Shepard green lights it all, I want this. But … I don't want to take anything from you either. I know the Normandy was a dream come true for you."

"It was, but only cause I'm a captain. Ash, you know me; I'm a ground pounder, a marine. I like being the skipper of the Normandy, but being the head of the Alliance Rangers? That's a no brainer. And being able to see more of you? That's a real dream come true. I miss you too, Ashley. Yeah, if Shepard green lights it, hell yeah!"

Ashley brought her hands up to her chin and smiled. She felt like a teenager who had just been asked to the prom.

"Thank you, James! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

#

The previous night, Shepard had dined with the officers. This evening would be the last meal of the voyage, and tonight, he would dine with the enlisted men. In spite of his lofty stature, he mixed much better with regular soldiers than he did the officers. Thanks to the Reaper War, every officer in the Alliance had seen action, but the enlisted men and women were the ones who simply had to go where they were pointed and who frequently were the ones asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. These men and women were the heart and soul of the Alliance military.

Shepard dispensed with his dress uniform and put on his BDUs. This was the style of uniform he had worn through most of the Reaper War; charcoal and black, with reinforced sections around the abdomen, chest, and upper thighs, and with thick shoulder pieces that bore five thick black stripes, the only visible indicator of his lofty rank. Miranda donned civilian clothes, opting to wear a jacket, blouse, and skirt.

"You look very battle ready," she said as he took her arm.

"You look very classroom ready," he replied. "And beautiful as always."

"A soldier and a teacher, dressed for our respective theatres of combat," she laughed. "To tell you the truth, I prefer seeing you this way to all that officers' pomp; it's how I remember you when I fell in love with you."

Shepard kissed her and escorted her to dinner.

#

"No way he's coming down here," exclaimed the marine Corporal Ray Hansen. "He's the goddam admiral of the Navy!"

"No," said Anne Shelby, "I heard him say that he was coming to dine with us tonight."

The Agincourt carried a complement of marines, and Shepard had been an N-7 marine, she thought they would be stoked. But she was a navy yeoman; little more than a clerk. And unlike the rest of the crew, these were the men and women who would be deployed on the ground in times of war, or who would be sent to board ships in need of rescue … or in need of being shut down. Anne was little more than a clerk, and out of place even with the rest of the ship's crew. Among the marines, she felt even more out of place.

"Gotta go with Hansen on this," said Private Liz Bartley. "He sent the beer, and it's damn good, but a personal appearance when he can dine with the brass? Don't count on it. Ten years a politician and now Admiral of the Navy; don't expect him down here eating a soldier's meal."

"Bet little Annie here just about shit her panties when she saw Shepard," laughed another marine, causing her to go red with embarrassment and frustration. _Why to do they have to make fun of me_, she thought. Anne shook her head. She had heard him say that he would be here. She had to believe it, even though her friends were probably correct. Then the fourth member of their table, Private Gary Higgs, blurted out,

"Don't look now, but here they come!"

"Admiral on deck," barked out their CPO.

All eyes in the mess hall turned to see Admiral John Shepard descending the stairs and entering the hall arm in arm with his wife, Miranda. Shepard wore his BDUs instead of his officers' uniform, but he stood out instantly. Everyone jumped to their feet and saluted, and the room became eerily quiet as they entered, knowing that regardless of what uniform he wore, he was still the first Human Spectre, the most decorated man in the Systems Alliance, possibly the galaxy, and was the highest ranking military officer, second only to the Alliance prime minister in terms of military authority, not to mention a former Human Councilor. In his BDUs, he looked even more intense, the way he looked in images from the war. Shepard had just started to gray, and he bore visible scars from two decades of active service in the harshest environments any soldier had ever faced. The soldier turned politician turned soldier had lost none of the fierceness of his gaze. Shepard was still every inch the man he had been during the Blitz, the Battle of the Citadel, and the Reaper War.

Miranda, though in civilian attire, strode like a goddess. Perfect posture and a look of supreme confidence on her beautiful face. She wore no makeup, preferring to let her natural beauty speak for itself. But the entire room knew that her looks were the least of her assets. Miranda was a war hero, and had been the finest operative alive when she was active. And her biotics were legendary. She would have made a fine Spectre.

The entire mess hall stood at attention saluting the war hero. Shepard returned their salutes crisply. "At ease, soldiers," he said. "And please, be seated. He shook hands with the CPO and then he and Miranda walked over to the table where the Agincourt's complement of Marines sat. They all stood up at his approach, shouting, "Hoorah!"

"Who's like us?" one of them shouted.

"Damn few," barked Shepard, raising his glass. "And they're all dead!" Turning to Shelby, he said, "Yeoman Shelby, good to see you."

"Thank you, Sir," she said. "Likewise, Sir." The yeoman looked triumphantly at the marines as she sat down. Shepard and Miranda actually sat down next to her, making her feel even more self-conscious, though she did feel vindicated.

"Damn," said Hansen, "we were just riding little Annie here, saying we didn't think you'd make it down here."

"You don't know Shepard," declared Miranda. "He hated every minute with stuffed shirt politicians, and never did mix well with the brass. Hell, he ate his meals with everyone else on the Normandy."

"Still do when I'm aboard," he said.

Shepard spent the evening with the soldiers, regaling them with stories and listening to theirs. Glasses were raised with frequency, alcohol being a rare treat in the mess hall. Unlike the officers, once the shock of his appearance wore off, the mess took on a celebratory atmosphere. Eventually, someone started playing music and tables were moved to allow for dancing. And Shepard and Miranda did not disappoint. While he was no lord of the dance, he had long ago learned to conduct himself on the dance floor without embarrassing himself. Miranda, of course, was like poetry in motion.

With the Admiral of the Navy enjoying himself, the party went on for quite a while, something very unexpected but very welcome. Eventually, however, people needed to return to their posts and the party had to wind down. Finally, Shepard stood to speak and the room got quiet.

"You know I spent years as an N7 marine, fighting in the trenches alongside men and women just like all of you. You are the heart and soul of the Systems Alliance," he declared. "And it has been my honor to serve with you and to dine with you." He then saluted them. All of the soldiers stood and saluted him back. "Good night, and thank you all."

The room erupted in raucous applause when he finished speaking. Shepard had always spoken well of the soldiers and the military during his time as Human Councilor, but to hear it from him in person was something special to the men and women aboard the Agincourt. And it was clear to them that he had never ceased to be a soldier; Shepard was a soldier to the core. Shepard was one of them.

#

Shepard and Miranda awoke to the sight of Arcturus station in their window. It was a beautiful, thoughtfully designed station. It was recognizable, retaining the disc section and long wings, but now, the 'wings' containing the docking ports were tapered and graceful, seamlessly integrated with the disc section where most of the station's operation took place. As the Agincourt approached the beautiful station, Shepard pulled his wife close sat back and enjoyed the panoramic scene laid out before them, basking in her presence.

Finally, the ship docked with the station, prompting the couple to get out of bed and get dressed. They took a leisurely pace, eating breakfast in their cabin, and then finally leaving to depart. They were greeted by Yeoman Shelby, who stood at attention and saluted.

"At ease, Anne," said Shepard, returning her salute.

"It's been an honor to have you aboard, Sir!"

"It's been an honor to be aboard, Anne," Shepard replied. "Take care of yourself, and take care of Captain Riley."

"I will sir," Anne replied.

"And relax a little," Miranda chided. "Allow yourself to breathe; you'll get through things a lot more smoothly."

"Yes, Ma'am," she said.

"Oh, I'm just Mrs. Shepard; seventh grade science teacher," laughed Miranda. "Take care."

Saying their goodbyes to Yeoman Shelby, the made their way to the airlock, where Captain Riley met them and saluted him.

"Thank you for everything you did while aboard, Sir," she said.

"You're welcome," Shepard replied, "but aside from eat engage in some leisure activity, I didn't actually do anything."

"That's where you're wrong sir," countered Lee. "You made the crew of this ship feel valued by Alliance Command. You're a hero to these men and women, and you made sure not to let them down. And Yeoman Shelby _really_ needed the confidence boost."

"You take care of yourself, Lee," said Shepard, embracing his friend. "And keep doing what you're doing; you run a fine ship."

Miranda hugged Captain Riley as well, saying, "Thank you," and then the couple disembarked, a conveyor belt carrying them through the docking tube and into the main terminal. There they were greeted by Ashley and James. The three officers exchanged salutes and then Shepard shook James' hand as Ashley embraced Miranda.

"Damn," exclaimed James, "you come a few thousand light years and all you pack are a couple of duffles and an overnight bag?"

"What can I say?" asked Miranda, "Some of us know how to travel light."

"Ash, James," said Shepard. "So what's the big news?"

"After you're settled in," said Ashley. "Now, like yourself, we have an apartment here, and we have a guest room. You're staying with us; I insist!"

"Sounds good," said Shepard. "So lead the way, Admiral Williams-Vega."

#

The Vega's apartment was not the massive palace that Shepard had, but it was very spacious nonetheless, and the guestroom was ample for the Shepards. After unpacking, they joined Ashley and James. Ashley sat in the living room, where Miranda joined her, while James was at the bar, preparing coffee for the group.

"Hey Loco," called James, "quadruple shot Espresso with a shot of Jack?"

"Really James?" asked Ashley, "This early?"

"Hit me, James," said Shepard with a laugh. "Just like the Normandy."

"You two had whiskey in the morning on the Normandy?" asked Miranda incredulously.

"Every day, Senora," declared James as he mixed Shepard's drink. "Every day could have been our last, so no reason to hold back, no?"

"No, I suppose not," conceded Miranda shaking her head and laughing. "But you don't still do that do you?"

"Don't ask," groaned Ashley.

"You betcha," declared Vega, handing John his drink. "Every morning and every night after dinner."

"Good stuff," said John approvingly, sipping his drink. He walked out and sat down next to Miranda, putting his drink on the coffee table. "Now, what's the big news, Ash?"

"Oh, this is big, Loco," said Vega as he sat down with Ashley.

"Very big," said Ashley. "The Council traveled here and paid me a visit. They had an offer. I like it; I like it a lot, but I needed to run it by you before accepting it."

"So let's hear it," said Shepard.

Ashley explained the Council's proposal for the making an interstellar Ranger corps with the Alliance' interspecies model as the basis. She also explained that she had been asked to head up the program and that she intended James to replace her as the Alliance' Ranger command.

"And that would all need your approval," she said in closing. "So, what do you think, Skipper?"

Shepard pondered it for a few moments before answering, prompting Ashley and James to exchange worried looks. They both looked Miranda, but she shrugged, not having any idea what Shepard's mind on this was. Finally, he spoke.

"From a personnel perspective," he said, "we've got it covered. You being married might raise an eyebrow or two with people, but James and I fought side by side through the whole Reaper war, and I put him forward for command based entirely on his merits. His performance as a skipper has been impeccable, and our recent time in field proves that he's still got it on the ground."

"So … you're good?" Ashley asked tentatively.

"More than good," he said. "Actually, I think it's a great idea. The fact that the Council came up with it on their' own is amazing; the old council could never have conceived of anything that inclusive. The only real challenge will be ships; each race would need to produce their own, or obtain them by some means, and even a decade later, not everyone has recovered to the point of being able to do that."

"I hadn't thought of that," Ashley confessed.

"I think we can work around it, though," Shepard offered. "So accept their offer as soon you can. That way, I can do any shuffling I need to."

"You're … not upset that they didn't ask you, are you?" asked Ashley tentatively.

"Not at all," replied John with a laugh. "Honestly, I almost turned down the promotion I did get. I'm not sure I'll stay on for more than four years or so; I want to build something, and I feel like … like I'm being called to something outside of soldiering."

"Damn, never saw that coming," exclaimed Vega, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, Skipper; soldiering's in your blood," agreed Ashley.

"It is," he agreed. "But it's not the only thing. I've got some ideas, big ones. I'm only forty years old, Ashley. I've more than done my part for the military. I have a family; two grown kids and a beautiful wife. I want more for them than just a strong military. We have that. What you've done with the Rangers has exceeded even my expectations, and the Ranger Corps was my brainchild."

"I'm a schoolteacher now," said Miranda. "Before the war ended, I never would have seen myself in this profession. In fact, I only became a teacher as a cover. But I found I loved it. And I found that I could give more to humanity through teaching than I could through covert ops. In fact, the greatest gift I ever gave to the galaxy was Commander Shepard. And I did that through my training in the medical profession."

"Damn, Miranda," said Ashley, "is there anything you can't do?"

"Resist Shepard," Miranda giggled. "Not that I was trying very hard."

It was rare to hear Miranda giggle. The very sound of it seemed unnatural coming from her. Ashley successfully kept from laughing, but James did not, his mirth plain for all to see. Ashley elbowed him in the ribs and he quickly changed gear.

"So Loco, whadya have in mind?"

"No idea, James. But I'll know it when I see it."

#

The Shepards dined with the Vegas that night at a restaurant that Ashley swore was good for the four of them. As it turned out, she was right. The Osaka Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar offered the sushi that Miranda often craved and the beef that John, Ashley and James preferred.

"No blowing up the fish tank tonight, Skipper," said Ashley as they sat down. "Tonight we're celebrating, not fighting."

"Very funny," said John sarcastically.

"Sorry, John, but you'll never live that one down," chided Miranda.

Drinks came and Ashley held hers up.

"To the interstellar Ranger Corps," she said. "Or whatever it ends up being called." They toasted the new beginning, and Ashley said, "I sent them my acceptance, by the way."

"Great," exclaimed John. "It seems that the Williams Curse has become the Williams Blessing; every project or mission you've been a part of has benefited from your presence and flourished under your leadership."

"Who knows, Ashley," said Miranda, "Maybe you'll be the next Admiral of the Navy."

"I know a few sore losers who'd be butt-hurt over that," laughed James.

"Damn, Skipper," protested Ashley. "Are you trying to make me break down with tears of joy?"

"Just trying to give you your due," John replied. "You worked your ass off without an ounce of recognition. Your father and grandfather were screwed over. I'm in a position to actually make things right, and when I can, I do."

They all raised their glasses to that as the food arrived. With Shepard's go ahead, the expansion of the Ranger Corps could proceed apace, and Ashley would become a major figure in Council politics. Shepard was happy for her, but just as happy to be away from Council politics. _You'll make a great Councilor one day_, he thought as they ate.


	12. Chapter 11: N7 Graduation Day

**Chapter 11**

**N7 Graduation Day**

It was nearing the holidays, and at long last, Zack and Jane would be going home to spend time with their family. They had not seen their parents since the Vindicator Incident, and looked forward to reuniting with them. Also, Zack had not seen Tara since well before that and was really missing her. The fact that he had not heard from her in three months was beginning to bother him, even though Jane told him that it was probably nothing. First however, they would go to back to Earth for graduation from ICT, both he and Jane with an N7 commendation. They had just finished the last of their field missions, though everything after the Vindicator Incident had been anticlimactic.

Zack looked in the mirror and hardly recognized himself. He was scruffy, his face fuller, and his physique even more cut and defined than it had been before they began their field missions. He stood on the scale and found that he had bulked up as well; a solid one hundred and ninety pounds. Others in his unit actually remarked that he looked like his dad. It was not true, of course; Shepard was not his biological father. Corporal Hudson had died in the final push against the Reapers in the Battle of London. But looking in the mirror, he could see why they would say so. Zack was not as tall as the war hero, but he had hit the six foot mark, and did not carry an ounce of fat. The intensity that his face seemed to have almost startled him. He wondered what Tara would think of his transformation.

"Hey Shepard," came the sergeant's bark, "get yourself dressed and meet me at my terminal in the shuttle bay!"

"Yes Sergeant!" He responded with enthusiasm, though in truth, he was not looking forward to it. Sergeant Henderson was not a warm person by any stretch of the imagination, but there seemed to be an animosity towards both Zack and Jane that the sergeant did not display when interacting with other soldiers. He could never put his finger on it, but he knew it was there, and so did the very perceptive Jane. He dressed rapidly as his fellow soldiers chided him about being in trouble with "sarge." He just laughed it off.

"I'm ready for pushups," he boasted, knowing that he could knock out two hundred without batting an eyelash. As he buttoned the last button on his shirt, he wondered if Chet and Biff would even recognize him.

Zack took the lift to the shuttle bay and met the sergeant at his terminal. Apparently, this area had been Captain Vega's during the Reaper War, and the fitness equipment still remained. The sergeant was at his terminal, but acknowledge Zack when he arrived. Sergeant Henderson reminded Zack a little of Admiral Shepard. Though Henderson was of African descent, he had the same intensity in his eyes, and a jaw that looked as though it was chiseled from granite. He also bore facial scarring not unlike Shepard's, a remnant of the Reaper War. At six foot three and a very muscular two hundred and twenty pounds, he looked imposingly down at Zack.

"Reporting as requested, Sergeant," Zack declared.

"At ease, soldier," the gruff Henderson said. "You know why I called you down here?"

"No, Sergeant."

"Didn't think so," snorted Henderson. "Now I know that you know that I don't like you an' that sister of yours. Let's just get that out in the open."

"Yes, Sergeant."

"Now, when I saw your name in the N6 ICT group placed under my command for N7 commendation, I thought there had to be a mistake. Then I thought it was just a coincidence; Shepard aint exactly an exotic name. When I found out that the two of you were Admiral Shepard's kids, I was pissed. I don't like seein' daddy push his kids through on his own good name, even if daddy united the galaxy.

"I rode the two of you harder than anyone in this unit, and you especially; that sister of yours picks up on everything like it's instinct. You? You had to work at it. I gave you the hardest problems I've ever given an engineer. Hell, I gave you assignments that I'd never give an engineer. But damned if you didn't do it all.

"I called you down here to tell you that I was wrong. I talked to your prior CO's and they all said the same thing; they were skeptical of you until you proved them wrong. Hell, maybe I shoulda talked to them first; woulda saved me some time. You and your sister performed outstandingly on Ilos. I saw the feeds. You may not look like it soldier, but you've got the heart of a Krogan." Henderson then extended his hand to Zack. "You're N7 no matter who your daddy is. I aint wrong about shit like this very often, but I was wrong about you, and when I'm wrong, I'm man enough to own up to it."

Zack shook his hand.

"Thank you, Sergeant," Zack replied. "I've enjoyed the challenge."

"I'll bet you have, Zack," laughed Henderson. "It's been a pleasure to have you in this unit. You'll go far."

"Thank you, Sergeant," said Zack. "That means a lot."

"Take it while he's in the mood," said Commander Cortez as he walked past. "He's nice about once a year, and today's the day."

#

Zack sat down at the terminal and logged in. The Normandy had a bunk area with a single terminal that the marines were expected to share, and it was Zack's turn. He was disappointed that there were no messages from Tara, in spite of his having written her religiously. There was, however, a message from Aunt Ori, with whom he had also kept regular correspondence. She said that she would be staying with the Shepards for the holidays and really looked forward to seeing him. The rest was small talk about her job. She signed off with her usual barrage of x's and o's and hearts.

"She ever write you back?" asked Private Tavis as Zack vacated the seat at the terminal for him.

"Nah," said Zack. "It's gotten to where I don't even expect it."

"Ouch, man! That sucks!"

"Hey, we just faced a Reaper, Tavis," said Zack. "And we won. I'll ride that high for the next year. And flying in on the Normandy, and getting to go back to Earth on the Normandy is icing on the cake."

Tavis high fived him as he logged onto the terminal.

"Yeah, but still; she oughta write you. Now if you'll excuse me, Julie did write back to me."

"Enjoy, Tavis," said Zack as he went back to his bunk. _What happened to you, Tara?_ He asked the question to himself silently, but as usual, there was no answer forthcoming. He put it from his mind; he could do nothing about it, and anyway, he and Jane were soon to graduate from ICT training with the coveted N7 commendation, and then they would be home for the Christmas holiday, with Aunt Ori visiting. That was a pleasant enough thought to put any worries from his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

#

Jane had bunked down early. As the rest of the women in her unit chatted and enjoyed the remaining time before lights out, Jane lay in her bed contemplating the recent events. They had faced a Reaper and lived to tell about it, and faced actual Reaper forces, not just Armax simulations. Her father had been correct; they were harder than in the simulator, but then, they had gone in as a larger unit alongside the elite Krogan unit, Arlahk Company, and with the original Normandy crew plus Miranda and Vega. The odds were heavily stacked in their favor. But still, it was a serious accomplishment. Not many people her age could say that they've fought Reaper forces and lived to tell about it.

Then her parents had gone through a time portal, saved their ancestors, and returned with an antique car. Captain Vega had made a very heartfelt argument that Shepard should have his last name legally changed to Loco. According to Vega, no matter how crazy something that Shepard does might be, he'll surprise you by doing something even crazier. And apparently, Miranda was just as crazy as Shepard. Now, John Shepard was Admiral of the Navy, and showed no signs of slowing down. It seemed that his legend would continue to grow for as long as he was still living. She smiled at the thought.

Then there was her brother. More specifically, there was Tara, who her brother had been writing to, but not hearing back from. That really bothered Jane. Zack had been very attentive to writing, and had turned down more than a few passes from other ladies in the unit, remaining true to the girl back home. She hoped that Tara was alright, but she had a nagging feeling that Tara may have broken things off but simply had not gotten around to telling him.

All of which brought her back to her own lament; lack of a significant other to even be concerned about breaking up with. It was not for lack of trying, but she just could not seem to say the right things to the people she was interested in. She had expressed interest in both men and women and seemed to get nowhere. She wondered what words of wisdom her father might have. Her mother had told stories of how she had tried for months to resist Shepard's charms, only to fall head over heels in love with him. Jane did not seem to have that effect on either men or women. _But we beat the Reapers_, she thought, a smile coming to her face as she drifted off to sleep.

#

Graduating from the ICT program was not like graduating from the Academy; there was no ceremony and it was not a family event. Nobody expected to see their family on graduation day. So it was that the Commandant of the ICT program reacted with shock at the news that the Admiral of the Navy was intending to show up to personally witness his son and daughter receive their commendations. He hated it when brass pulled stunts like this, but for Shepard, he could not get too upset; he was after all the only reason that Commandant Del Rey and the rest of humanity yet lived. And unlike other officers whose kids had ridden in on their parents' coattails, Zack and Jane had more than earned their scores.

Normally, when he made the announcement that some high ranking big wig from Arcturus was arriving for something like this, it put the whole facility on edge. But when they heard that Shepard was visiting, the entire facility was abuzz with excitement and anticipation. Shepard was, after all, the most famous N7 graduate in the history of the program. And he was most definitely one of their own.

"Commandant Del Rey," called Sergeant Paulson excitedly, "the Normandy just landed!"

Del Rey had to laugh. He had never seen Sergeant Paulson get excited about anything. Now, he sounded like a teen whose favorite band had been spotted in town. Though the Normandy landing at ICT was very unexpected. He had thought that Admiral Shepard would have arrived via shuttle craft. "Thank you, Sergeant. I'm on my way."

He was wearing his dress uniform for the occasion, as he always did, but he was particularly glad to be wearing it with the Admiral of the Navy visiting. He walked with Paulson, who had just a bit more spring in his step than usual.

"Paulson, you walk like you've gotta take a piss!"

Paulson slowed down a bit. "Sorry, Sir," he said self-consciously. "It's just that … well, Sir, it's the Normandy!"

"I know," replied Del Rey. "Even I've gotta admit; it's pretty cool. But it's also the Admiral of the Navy who's going to step off of the Normandy, so let's look as professional as we can, shall we?"

"Yes, Sir."

They stepped out onto the landing field and there she was; the SSV Normandy SR-2. The ship was beyond legendary; she was mythic. And the man who strode down the landing stairs was like a hero descended from Jupiter himself. With him was Miranda Lawson, now Miranda Shepard, who was like a sorceress of legend. Behind them were men and women who were themselves the stuff of legend; Admiral Williams-Vega, Captain Vega, Tali Zorah, Garrus Vakarian, Edi and Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Doctor T'Soni, and two hulking Krogan; Urdnot Grunt and the Urdnot Clan Chief and practical ruler of the Krogan people, Urdnot Wrex. Then, Oriana Lawson, retired Admiral Hackett and retired Admiral Hannah Shepard both stepped off of the Normandy. Del Rey felt a lump forming in his throat. Shepard and his crew were like Jason and the Argonauts, with Admiral Hackett like King Agamemnon. Del Rey and Paulson, along with all of the personnel on the field stood at rigid attention. "Admiral on deck," shouted Paulson, and they all saluted.

Shepard and Miranda walked over to them and the war hero returned their salute. Del Rey had never met Shepard, but the Reaper War commander was more compelling than the photos or the vids made him out to be. Taller than Del Rey had expected him to be, and with more presence than any man Del Rey had ever seen, Shepard seemed larger than life.

"Good afternoon, Commandant," greeted Shepard warmly, shaking Del Rey's and Paulson's hands firmly. "Good to be back!"

"It's an honor to have you, Sir," replied Del Rey. He was pleasantly surprised; Shepard was … friendly; warm, human. "I'm looking forward to seeing the graduating class. You know, they were on the Ilos mission with me this year. You and the faculty have done a very fine job here. When I saw them in the field, I knew that ICT was still just as top shelf as it was when I came through; probably even better!"

"Thank you, Sir!" Del Rey was very proud hearing such praise.

Once the formalities were out of the way, Del Rey and Paulson escorted the group to their quarters and went on to getting the graduation moving along. It was not much of a ceremony, as Del Rey was sure that Shepard knew. But with the presence of the most celebrated crew in naval history, and the most decorated soldier in history, he almost wished that there was more ceremony.

"Paulson," said Del Rey, "I think we might be getting bonuses this year!"

"Now that would be nice," agreed Paulson.

#

"Shepard, do you ever get tired of people looking at you like you're a god descended from the heavens?" asked Garrus. "Because I never do."

"I've gotten used to it," said John, "but I don't really like it. I'm just a soldier like them. I enlisted like them, fought and bled like them. Now, I can make a real and beneficial difference in their lives."

"I don't like it either," said Miranda, making a face. "But every time they look at you like that, John, I think to myself, you damn well better remember who saved your sorry asses. Especially when it's politicians. Admiral Hackett tells me stories of you bludgeoning your way through political meetings and reminding those bastards that they owe you. Sniveling cowards."

"Shepard," said Tali cheerfully, "you've got the gang back together!"

"Yes," said Garrus, "so who needs their ass kicked now?"

"Maybe the Salarian councilor who sold us all out to the Yahg," said Joker. "Just puttin' it out there."

"Wouldn't be much of a fight," laughed Wrex. "Besides, Bakara's pretty sure that Linron wasn't in the loop on that one."

"Come on guys," said Oriana, "We're here for Zack and Jane. Who cares about Salarian politics? That can wait!"

"You're awfully excited," remarked Liara.

"Very," agreed Ori. "I've never seen and N7 graduation before."

"It isn't like a regular graduation," noted Hackett. "There's no ceremony to it. That stuff's for kids in diapers. By the time they get to this point, N7 graduates are seasoned soldiers, the toughest men and women in the Alliance military. As evinced by your brother in law and Captain Vega. Ashley Williams should have been sent to ICT, but after all she's been through, I'd say she more than qualifies as being the toughest lady in the Systems Alliance."

"Thank you, Sir," said Ashley.

"And now my grandchildren are in that group," said Hannah proudly. "And killing Reapers, just like their parents."

"It's in your blood," said Grunt. "Shepards kill Reapers. I'm sure you got more than a few kills under your belt."

Hannah laughed. "Oh, more than a few," she said. "And while the Orizaba took a serious beating, we sent more than one of those bastards to hell during the fight."

"I just wish Anderson could have been here with us," lamented John.

"Men like him don't just go away, Shepard," said Wrex. "Their spirits are too strong to just vanish. He's here."

"If he's anywhere, it's definitely here," agreed Hackett.

#

The assembled ICT N7 graduating class stood at rigid attention. Rumors were flying that the Normandy had landed, but right now, it was Commandant Del Rey who held their attention. There were not very many of them; by the time the class gets to N6, most have washed out. The remaining thirty, thirteen men and seventeen women, were the finest in the corps. And among them were Zack and Jane Shepard.

"N7," said Del Rey. "It aint no piece of paper you can buy. It aint no officer's training program either. An it sure as hell aint no kindergarten graduation. Normally, we don't have guests at these affairs. But today, your class has drawn a few people who want to congratulate you in person, so we're doing something a little different this year. About face!"

The class turned to face the auditorium door. Then Paulson barked, "Forward march!" At which point the line marched out, two abreast, Paulson marching behind them, as Del Rey exited on his own. Paulson marched them out to the airfield where the rumors were confirmed; the Normandy had indeed landed. And standing in front of the mythic ship was her most celebrated crew. One of the ladies softly gasped, "Oh my God!" The company was lined up and finally, Paulson barked, "Company halt!"

The thirty stood in a single line facing the legendary Normandy crew, two retired Admirals, one head of state, and their own Admiral of the Navy.

"Normally, I don't hijack proceedings such as this," said Shepard, addressing the class. "But today is different. All of you were on the Vindicator mission. Three of you were killed on that mission, and others were severely wounded. You who stand here fought and bled with us fighting against the last Reaper offensive. Nobody else your age can say that; they were all too young to have fought in the war, and they weren't in the elite group that stands before me. And today, those of us who were in the fight from the very beginning stand with those who came to the fight at the very end. You were with us to finish the fight once and for all! Your names will be recorded in the history books among those who stood against the greatest threat this galaxy has ever faced!

"Years ago, I stood where you're standing now. I had proven myself on field missions, just as you have all done. And like me, you have your whole careers ahead of you. N7 means that you're the best, the toughest, and the most versatile soldiers in the Alliance military. You didn't need an audience to tell you that. You didn't need the Normandy crew to tell you that. You didn't even need me to tell you that! Children need those things. The weak, the fearful, and the cowardly need those things. No, you know that by virtue of standing here that you are the very best of the best! As I call your name and bestow upon you the coveted N7 pin, know that you are not receiving trinkets from your superiors. No, you are being welcomed into an elite fellowship that can only be entered through fighting, bleeding, and overcoming the harshest environments and most grueling circumstances that a soldier can face. Today, you take your places with Ashley Williams, James Vega, the rest of the Normandy crew, and me! You are the best! Now go back to your regular assignments and show them why!"

All thirty of them clapped and applauded along with the entirety of the ICT faculty and staff, as well as the Normandy crew and the assembled heroes and admirals. Zack and Jane both were caught up in their father's words. To hear him speak was truly inspirational. Finally, the applause died down and Shepard called their names alphabetically. Finally, he got to his own children.

"Jane Shepard," he called. She stepped forward. "Congratulations. You've made me very proud today." He pinned the N7 badge to her collar and then pulled her close and embraced her.

"Thank you, Dad," she said softly, stepping back into the line with joyful tears in her eyes.

"Zack Hudson Shepard," he called. Zack came forward. "Congratulations," Shepard said. "You've made me very proud, and I know that your father is watching this. He's like Anderson; death won't keep him away." He then hugged his son and shook his hand.

"Thank you, Sir!" Zack was beaming. This was truly the happiest moment of his life. Miranda and Ori waved to both he and Jane and Ori him and blew him a kiss. Jane turned and hugged him tightly as Shepard moved onto the last few in line.

When he was done, he stood and faced Sergeant Henderson. The two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Good to see you again, Avery."

"Likewise, Shepard. Good to see political life hasn't made you soft; you're still kicking ass!"

"Thanks," laughed Shepard. "Thankfully, political life is over."

Zack and Jane laughed as subtly as they could; it seemed that a first name basis with their father meant calling him by his surname without a rank or title.

Once all of the soldiers had been acknowledged, they were all lined up in front of the Normandy with Shepard and the Normandy Crew, Miranda, Admirals Hackett, Williams-Vega, and Hannah Shepard, and the faculty of ICT for a photo. While N7 graduations were normally less celebratory, Commandant Del Rey was very pleased with added ceremony brought by Shepard's presence. He determined that he would have the photo blown up and placed prominently.

#

Shepard, Miranda, Jane, Zack, and Ori lounged in the Normandy's mess deck. The young Shepards were now finished with ICT and had been granted their holiday leave. Now, they sat with Shepard, not in the capacity of Admiral of the Navy or war hero, but simply as their dad.

"You two getting N7 at the same time," said Shepard, "is truly a dream come true for a career soldier like me. And I saw you both in the field; you've earned it! Hell, I understand that Henderson made it harder for both of you, particularly you, Zack, just to be sure."

"He told me that after the fact," said Zack. "I just assumed that the challenge was because it was ICT. I mean, the whole program is noted for being damn near impossible to complete."

"Damn near," agreed Shepard. "But you both did it."

"I had no doubts," said Miranda smugly. "They both have quite a background; Zack; born of a soldier who died a hero's death, you suffered a childhood that would have broken most kids. And Jane, synthesized from the genes of John and me, but denied a childhood, could have grown up seriously maladjusted. But both of you proved sound mental toughness, and raised by John and me, you had all of the tools you needed. One forged for greatness, the other born for greatness. And make no mistake, I'm so very, very proud of you both."

"And Zack, I hardly recognized you," exclaimed Oriana. "You've really matured; you're taller, and definitely not the slender teen I remember. But your dashing good looks are still present and accounted for."

"Thanks, Ori," he said, a bashful quality in his voice.

"And Jane," Ori continued, "you still look like you, but you've got your mother's beauty and your father's fierceness. And eyes; you have his intense eyes."

Jane raised her arms and flexed her biceps while making a fierce looking face, saying, "Grrrrr," causing the adults and her brother to laugh.

"So, are the two of you ready?" asked Shepard.

"For what?" Jane and Zack asked in unison, looking at each other and then back at their father.

"For your graduation presents, that's what," said Miranda. "You didn't think we'd spare any expense on that, did you?"

Shepard got up and wheeled over two flight cases, one with Jane's name and one with Zack's. "Open them," he said.

They each opened the case with their name on it and inside was the newest N7 grade armor, optimized for each of their specializations, the N7 insignia displayed on the chest piece and on the sides of the helmet.

Oriana found it curious that Zack turned and hugged Miranda while Jane hugged John. While Zack's hug was a firm, hearty hug, Janes was more clingy and childlike.

"Looks like you're still Daddy's girl," Ori remarked. Jane smiled at the comment, but Zack shook his head when Ori said, "And you're …"

"Don't even think about calling me a …" he began, laughing, but Ori hugged him, kissing his cheek.

"You're definitely not a mama's boy," she said. "You're very handsome, and like most ladies, I appreciate a man in uniform. Including your father." Oriana then stuck her tongue out at Miranda before the older sister had a chance to respond. It was not often that Miranda was caught with her mouth open but no words coming out, but Ori managed to snap a picture. "Gotcha!"

"You are such a brat," Miranda admonished. "Come here!" Miranda jumped from her chair as Oriana ran away, teasing Miranda all the while.

"Bet you two never thought you'd see your mother chasing your aunt around the mess hall, now did you?"

"Oh my God, no," exclaimed Jane.

"Yeah," said Zack. "Good thing nobody's videoing this; Mom would really be … Dad, you're not …" Zack noticed his father's omni-tool was activated.

"Oh, yes I am," laughed Shepard as he filmed his wife chasing Ori. "And I'll video the pillow fight they'll have later."

"They have pillow fights?" Zack was dubious, but Shepard nodded.

"Oh, yes," he said. "They're still sisters, and unlike Ori, Miranda never had a real childhood. So she plays catch up now and again. And I don't think Ori ever really grew up, so it works out."

Zack and Jane looked at each other and began laughing uncontrollably at the sight. Finally, Ori ran out of breath and Miranda caught her. Hugging her sister, and then tickling her briefly, causing Ori to squeal loudly, Miranda sat back down.

"The little vixen always was faster," she remarked.

"But you've got the staying power," said John, pulling her close.

"Oh, I have that in spades," she laughed with a coy smile. "And so do you."

"Wow," said Oriana, "it's like we're all teenagers or something."

They spent the next hour relaxing before the ship lifted off and began taking them back to the Citadel. John had a lot of news to share with his kids, but it would keep; it was time to go home for the holidays.


	13. Chapter 12: Home for the Holidays

**Chapter 12**

**Home for the Holidays**

It was nearly Christmas, and it was the first Christmas that everyone had been able to be home at the same time. But for the first time, the entire Shepard family was dining at home together, and there were announcements aplenty to make. The first being made by the only one not yet part of the family, retired Admiral Steven Hackett. Of course, retired or not, when he spoke, everyone quieted down and paid attention.

"For the past few years, Hannah and I have been dating," he began. "Now that we've both finally retired, and now that I've finally gotten John to take on the office of Admiral of the Navy, we've agreed that the time is right."

"Last night, Steven proposed," announced Hannah, holding up her left hand to show off a diamond engagement ring. "And I accepted!"

"To you both, and to a long and happy life together," he said, raising his glass as the family all clapped and cheered. All of them raised their glasses and toasted the happy couple. "All I've got to say is, 'bout damn time!"

"From a man considered to be the finest statesman of our day," said Hannah, laughing. "Is that the eloquence you displayed in those God-awful council meetings?"

"Oh, that was Shakespeare by comparison," chided Miranda. "And congratulations, Mom. I agree with John; it's more than past time. And I'll be honored to call you Dad, Admiral."

"You're a lady I'll be proud to call daughter," replied Hackett. "And you can thank your husband for the delay; I wasn't turning my post over to anyone else, and he stuck with that Council for a lot longer than I would have expected."

"Don't remind me," John said. "But since we're making announcements, Ashley has become the galactic head of the expansion of the Rangers, and Vega is going to be promoted to Rear Admiral and head of the Alliance Rangers. That left the Normandy without a skipper, but then I learned that she was due for decommissioning."

"No!" Miranda's mouth dropped open as she gasped. "They can't! Shepard, you've got to do something," she pled, momentarily reverting to calling him by his surname. The rest of the family was equally aghast, with exclamations of, "No way," and "they can't do that!" Only Hackett and Shepard looked calm.

"Don't worry," assured John. "I've already done something; I've made the Normandy my mobile command center, and with my not insubstantial fortune, I have made the arrangements with the Alliance Parliament to purchase the ship for my own."

"Dad, you own the Normandy?" Zack was amazed.

"Not yet, but by the end of the month, I will," boasted Shepard. "I will never let that ship be scrapped or laid up in some museum. Not while I still live; and it's well documented how hard it is to kill me or keep me dead."

"I'll drink to that," said Miranda.

#

Zack had sent many messages to Tara, including news of his graduation, but he had heard nothing back from her. He knew that she was in school, but he expected that she would be home for the holidays. He thought about dropping by, but decided against it; it just was not him. Instead, he decided to hit the now complete Silversun Strip. He went to the Armax Arena with his new gear and decided to play solo against super-elite Reaper forces with all of the player enhancements off and all of the enemy enhancements on.

Choosing the Blasteroid map, he began his first solo game since heading off to ICT. Having fought Reaper forces in the field, as well as running in dozens of life or death missions, Zack found that he was actually holding his own. It was still very, very hard, but when the first round ended and he was still in the game, he realized that he really could do this. Round two and three were progressively harder, but he made it through both of them, taking down all of the computer generated enemies. And he had come out with a score of 9700. So far, the only people who had broken the 10,000 mark were his parents, Vega, Ashley, and Captain Riley, and only Garrus and his dad had broken that mark playing solo. His solo score was on par with all of them except the two war heroes. Even Miranda had not broken the ten thousand mark on her own. He smiled at his accomplishment.

"And the match goes to Shepard," came the announcement. Then the announcer followed up with, "And that's Zack Shepard!" The gathered crowd was cheering for him. He then realized that his father had been right; N7 had made him one of the club, one of the elite. That's when he saw Tara. At the announcement of his name, her eyes went wide and the color drained from her face, and she suddenly pulled away from the boy whose hand she had been holding and bolted. The boy looked completely befuddled. It pained him, but he was not surprised at this point.

By the time he had his gear off and went upstairs to collect his prizes, a crowd of fans had gathered to greet him, one of whom was an Armax representative. The Turian lady looked familiar, and when she called him by name, saying, "Zack, you've really come a long way!"

"Tacita?"

"The same," she announced, embracing her old friend. "I got a nice job with Armax, so I get to see matches like yours and get paid for it. I see you've taken Shepard's name." Tacita walked him over to the café,

"Only when I'm here," he said. "Hudson's still my legal name, but I started doing that because it was just confusing. Kind of how actors have a professional name and a legal name."

"Not hyphenating, huh?"

"Nah," he said. "Women do that in human society, not men. Say Tacita, you've got to come by our place. We're all home and everyone would be glad to see you."

"I was hoping you'd ask," she said. "Should I round up Vandro?"

"Sure," said Zack, glad to have his old group together.

"Say, I've been seeing Tara with some other guy," said Tacita. "When I confronted her about it discreetly, she gave me some bullshit story about not being able to wait, and how navy guys never _really_ wait for you. Just thought I'd give you a heads up before you hit the send button."

"Yeah, she quit writing me about three months back, no explanation," he said. "I saw her with some guy, and when they announced my name and she recognized me, she went white as a sheet and tried to get him out. He looked baffled, so my guess is that she never told him that she was cheating." He shrugged. "Maybe she didn't view it as cheating. I don't know, but I'm not dwelling on it."

"Wow! That's big of you," said Tacita. "And here I was going to try to coax the two of them into playing on easy and then 'accidentally' put them in the 'Fatal Error' map on maximum difficulty."

"Damn, nobody plays that map on maximum, Tacita," exclaimed Zack. "Not even Vega! Only my dad and Garrus are game for that! Tara and that babyface she's hooked up with would pass out from the feedback before the first round was halfway over."

"Yeah, and probably be in need of fresh underwear," laughed Tacita. "But okay; I'll be nice. I've got to get back to work, but it was good to see you again!"

"You too, Tacita," he said. The two hugged briefly and Zack went and collected his gold prize. He selected Fatal Error, which he had finally unlocked. _Maybe I'll try my hand at that next time_, he thought, chuckling to himself.

#

Tara ran as fast as she reasonably could, her new boyfriend, Percy, puzzled and kind of being dragged along by her. Percy was a nice, geeky twenty two year old kid who loved the Arena, but could not play for more than a few minutes without being knocked out. Zack, on the other hand, looked like he were chiseled from granite and wrapped in steel. Gone was the gangly kid with no self-confidence, now replaced by a seasoned N7 marine.

"Tara, what the heck is going on?"

"We've gotta get outta here," she said. "Or else …"

"Or else what?" Percy asked, frustrated and baffled.

"She's afraid Zack Shepard will kick your ass," said a very attractive woman.

Percy had no idea who she was, but Tara froze in her tracks. The woman was in her mid to late thirties and was a picture of classic beauty, her luxuriant dark hair framing her beautiful face. Her blue eyes looked at Tara with daggers. Before Percy could respond, the woman backhanded Tara.

"Dishonest tramp," she spat. "You didn't even have the decency to tell your new boy that you were two timing him, did you?"

"Tara, what's she talking about?" Percy was still confused, but he was starting to put two and two together.

"She's talking about me," came a voice from behind him. Percy turned around and found himself face to face with a very muscular six foot man in Alliance Marine BDUs. He recognized Zack Shepard immediately. "We were dating; I went to ICT training and at some point, she stopped answering my letters and communications. I take it she got lonely." Tara started to speak, but Zack placed his finger on her lips. "Don't," he said. "I got lonely too. This picture of you got me through those times." He produced the photograph and offered it to her. "Here. It belongs to you." Tara's eyes welled up with tears as she took the photo.

"I … I'm sorry, Zack. I …" she began crying before she could finish. Zack embraced her gently.

"It's alright, Tara," he said. "I'm still your friend. But no more than a friend." He turned to Percy. "Good luck in the arena, son."

"Thanks," said Percy, shaking his hand. "Percy Marcus."

"Zack Shepard. Good to meet you."

Then Percy turned to Tara. "You cheated on a marine while he was deployed? I mean, he's got the N7 and he was in ICT, and you're deployed on like, real missions at that stage."

"Dealing with Yahg on Parnak," said Zack. "And other things that I can't discuss; you don't have clearance. She knows; I sent her plenty of updates."

"Yahg?" Percy shook his head. "Tara, I thought you were … honest. I'm outta here! Zack, I'm sorry; I swear I didn't know!"

"It's alright Percy," Zack assured him. "That was pretty clear. Besides, I don't beat people up over things like this; it's undignified." He turned to Oriana and offered his arm. "Ori, I would love to go to lunch with a fine lady."

"Absolutely," replied Ori, taking his arm. "Let's get out of here."

"Good bye, Tara," said Zack as they walked off. "Good to meet you Percy."

"Damn, that was generous of you," exclaimed Oriana. "That poor guy; he seriously thought you were going to deck him for a second there."

"Luckily for him, I'm not a bully. And Tara simply isn't strong enough. She's not a bad person; just weak."

"Well I'm strong, Zack," boasted Ori. "Come on; let's go to that Sushi place before your dad blows it up."

#

Their new apartment on the Citadel was much larger than James was expecting. Not as palatial as Shepard's place, but bigger than anything he and Ashley needed. She had made the arrangements and they had finalized the purchase together before he had set foot in the place, trusting his wife's instincts.

"Damn, Ashley, this place is huge!"

"I know you like to entertain, James, so I kept that in mind. Big screen, sound system, and enough room for all of our friends on game day."

"And Four guestrooms," James said excitedly.

"Two guestrooms," corrected Ashley.

"Two? Ash, there's only two of us, and we only need one room."

"Two guestrooms," she confirmed as she put her arms around him. Kissing him, she continued, "and three of us."

"Three? You mean …"

"Yes, I mean! I'm pregnant, James!"

"For real? You're not like hiding a camera or nothing are you? Cause if it's for real, this makes my year!"

"It's real, Admiral Vega," she purred as he wrapped his massive arms around her. "Though it'll put a serious crimp in my Arena time."

"Don't worry, Ash; I'll keep our scores up. Maybe dress Edi up in your uniform and sneak her in."

"You brat!"

"So, we know if it's a chico or la chica?"

"Too soon to tell, but he or she will definitely be a Vega."

"You … don't want to put your last name in there?"

"No, James. I'm proud to wear your name; I only hyphenate to stick it the noses of those assholes who fucked with my granddad and my dad. That's done; our family is the Vega family, and I want my kids to proudly wear the name of the man I love."

"We got any ideas for first names?"

"A few," she said, savoring his embrace. "I'm sure you do too."

"Ashley SR-2"

"Brat! And no!"

#

The night of the Shepard's annual holiday party had arrived. The gathering was somewhat smaller this year; The Vegas were entertaining Ash's mom and sisters and James' uncle, while Tali was back on Rannoch and Garrus was visiting Palaven. But Joker and Edi were happy to accept the invite, as were Liara and Shiala. Oriana, of course, would be in attendance. John noted that she was conspicuously absent on the years that Zack and Jane had been away, spending those years with the Bransons.

"She loves the kids," Miranda agreed. "And she does have family. You know, they've invited us all to come spend Christmas with them. On Illium." Her hint was not lost on him; Miranda loved Illium.

"We have the time," he said. "We can see what Zack and Jane want to do, but if they're up for it, I'm up for it. And yes, Ori loves the kids, but I think she may love one a little … differently than the other."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," said Miranda, sipping her coffee. "We had a long chat about that back when Zack was head over heels for her, but he was a young teen back then. Now though, she's in her thirties and he's in his early twenties; they're both adults. And because he's adopted, he's not related to her by blood. He doesn't even bear your last name, well, not legally anyway."

"As it should be," said John. "His father died when he was nearly in middle school; we didn't adopt him as an infant. He was Zack Hudson in every way, and that wasn't something I wanted to change. I sense from your tone, however, that you're fishing for my approval."

"John, Ori and Zack have a very special connection. I know their ages are … spread out, but I think … I think it might be for the best. Ori has never found anyone. And it was not for lack of tyring. She has a very hard time connecting with regular men. Hell, I had a very hard time connecting with regular men; I wouldn't settle for anything less than the best. That's why I married you." Miranda sidled up to him looked up at him with an expression of love and admiration. John knew the look; she used it whenever she wanted something that he was hesitant to acquiesce to. Not that it was necessarily something he did not want to acquiesce to, but sometimes he did not have a ready answer. Some things needed consideration. This was one of those things. He enfolded her in his arms anyway; he never tired of doing that.

"I don't know, Miranda. As you say, they're both adults. I certainly wouldn't forbid it, but I can't promise that I won't counsel against it. Let me think about it."

"That's more permissive than I would have expected from you; you've always been a bit more … morally objective than I."

"Miranda, I'm not going to kick the kid when he's down. After that nonsense with Tara, he needs a pick-me-up."

"Well Ori is good at that," noted Miranda.

"Yeah," John agreed, "but Ori I think wants to be more than just a pick me up, and Zack still has feelings for her. I can see it in his eyes whenever they're in the same room together or her name is mentioned. And if they get married, you realize that she'd be our daughter in law. Are you really ready for that kind of … familial convolution?"

"John, she's a clone grown by Henry Lawson, just as I was. And her last name is Branson. Very, very few people know her true parentage. Even her parents do not know of her actual origins."

"You make good points," he conceded. "At this point, I'll wait and see where it goes. But if it looks like an unhealthy situation, I'm not going to be silent about it."

"Nor should you be," agreed Miranda. "And if that turns out to be the case, I will back you up to the hilt, just as I know you would me."

"Sounds reasonable," he said. "I guess that's as far as we can take it at this point. Now, about the Branson's invitation; what are your thoughts there?"

"I think it might be a good idea. I mean, they are family, and we hardly see them. I still don't think they've ever fully understood why Ori and I became 'like sisters,' but they've invited us before. For once, we can actually go. It's short notice, but we could do it."

"Then it's settled," he said. "We'll see what the kids think, and if they're not strongly opposed, we'll do it. In the meantime, we have a party to throw tonight. So while we still have some time before we have to get ready, let's have a nice, romantic morning together."

"I'd like that, Shepard," she said, kissing him. "I'd like that very much."

#

The party was a smaller gathering, though Ashley had sent out news to her old crewmates about her pregnancy. This made the evening even more celebratory, and prompted Joker to start speculating about all manner of odd and unusual names for the baby.

When Liara, Shiala, and their girls arrived, Zack was reunited with Alyna for the first time since he had gone off to the academy. He had kept up correspondence with her as well, and she was a very dutiful pen pal. He found that she looked barely older than he had been when they had first met. Alyna did a double take when she saw him, having to take a moment to connect the large man before her with the gangly kid she had grown up with.

"Alyna, it's me, Zack," he said, welcoming her with open arms. She ran up and hugged him, then smiled.

"Still Zack," she said. "But you got tall!"

"Indeed," said Liara approvingly. "Zack, you've become quite a man. You and Jane were both impressive during the Vindicator affair. And speaking of Jane, where is she?" Jane came down the stairs and turned to the sound of her name.

"I'm right here," she said, walking over and standing with her parents. Jane had become quite tall as well, nearly as tall as Zack. She had all of Miranda's curves and natural beauty, but she had her father's intense blue eyes and her jawline was definitely his as well, though on her it was much softer. But the red hair she had was all her own. Liara thanked the goddess every time she saw Jane; John and Miranda would never have had children of their own bloodline without her, and Shepard's finding of Jane had alleviated Miranda's long held insecurity of being unable to have kids of her own.

"Hey Shepard," said Joker, "Why don't you and Miranda, Ori, Zack and Jane, and your mom and Admiral Hackett all get together and I'll get a picture."

"Great idea, Joker," John agreed.

"You're in our family photos, now, Steven," said Hannah. "So we'd better set that date and fast!"

"Lengthy planning has its benefits," replied the old admiral, "but sometimes, it's the bold and decisive action that pays off. I was thinking Valentine's Day."

"Less than three months," said Hannah. "I think we can get this done."

With a wedding date set, they joined the group for the picture. After that, the party was quieter as the already smaller gathering broke into even smaller groups. Tacita and Vandro arrived and joined Zack, Jane, Ori, and Alyna, as Hannah and Steven got acquainted with little Athena. Seeing Admiral Hackett making baby noises at the little girl was highly amusing, though Shepard hoped that Joker was not recording it for upload to the extranet.

Shepard bounced around from group to group, but always came back to Miranda. He carefully observed Zack and Ori. Aside from being very attentive to each other and Ori draping her arms around him frequently, their behavior was nothing out of the ordinary, and well within the bounds of taste. He had to admit that they made a very handsome couple, and their conversations seemed fairly in depth. Ori was like Miranda; she had a 200 IQ and was highly educated. Unlike Miranda, she had a very childlike, often childish, way about her, while Zack was mature beyond his years.

"They do make a fine match, if I do say so myself," declared Miranda as she joined him, drink in hand. "Not unlike you and I?"

"Very much like you and I," he agreed, "but also different. But I agree. I still remember when I met him; he was infatuated with you, but with Ori, I think it goes beyond just infatuation."

"And now, Ashley is pregnant, our kids are N7 marines, and your mum and Hackett are retired. You have become the Admiral Hackett of the day, John. Time marches on, and our children are slowly taking our place in the galaxy."

"No," he corrected, "they're taking their own place in the galaxy. And making a brighter future thanks to the work you and I have done. They'll be the heroes of the next age. Which means that we can sit back and enjoy our time together."

"I'm all in favor of that, John. You know, I'm finding more and more gray in my hair these days. I'm almost as gray as you."

"But you wear it better; you age very beautifully, my love."

"I do," she said smugly. "By design."

"You know Miranda, I'm the luckiest man in the galaxy. I'll never get over it; you brought me back. You gave me my life back. And then you gave me your heart."

"And I never looked back, John. Not for one minute. Merry Christmas, John."

The two turned to each other and kissed, holding one another for a few, long, and very sweet moments, continuing the kiss through sound of glass breakage and Joker shouting, "Not me!" The world had stopped for the two of them. They would come back to it, but not for a few more moments.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Lee felt Amanda's gentle touch bring him from his slumber, and realized that this tablet was about to fall on the floor. He had dozed off on the love seat after reading a Fan Fiction that Michael had recommended to him; Mass Effect: Reunion, by a local author. He had played the game, Mass Effect, at Michael's request and had found himself drawn into the story. After he completed the trilogy and had wanted more story, he followed Michael's recommendation and read the story on . But at some point, he fell asleep.

"You okay, Lee?"

Amanda was now in her seventies like himself, and both had long since retired from the spy business, but she was still as beautiful to him as the day they had met. Her tall, slender frame was still delicate, with just the right amount of curves to suit his tastes. He looked up at her and smiled, taking in her sparking blue eyes.

"I'm always okay when I'm with you, Amanda. I was just dreaming."

"About me?" Amanda slid up next to him, putting an arm around him.

"Yeah, actually. I dreamt that we were still with the agency, and that character from Michael's game, Commander Shepard, went on a mission with us, and that we were his ancestors. It was strange, but kinda fun, you know? Brings me back to the good old days."

"I hear you, Lee. Do you ever miss those days?"

"Sometimes, but not very much; the best part of the good old days is you, Amanda. Today; these are the good old days."

"Well, Lee Stetson, give me that controller and put the game in," Amanda ordered. "I hear I can play as Fem-Shep, and I wanna shoot 'em up an' blow some stuff up like you used to."

Lee kissed her and got the game ready, putting Mass Effect, the first game, into the machine and handing the controller off to Amanda.

"Go get 'em, girl."

**The End**


End file.
